Revenge is Simply an Act of Passion
by almister12
Summary: When Emma mistakenly brings Marian back from the past, Regina sets out to revenge the deed. Each chapter in the story has little snippets woven together. All of the stories are related to each other, but there are separate story lines, as well. This is my first attempt at a multi-fic.
1. Chapter 1

"You… You did this?" Regina said, not asking quite a question, but more of a statement of bewilderment.

"I just wanted to save her life," Emma responded, her breath quiet and guilt coming over her eyes.

"You're just like your mother. Never thinking of consequences." Regina spat. She could feel her voice become shaky as her eyes started to build water behind them.

Emma stared at her. "I didn't know," she replied, unsure of what else she could say.

"Of course you didn't," Regina said without giving either of them a second to breath. "Well, you just better hope to hell you didn't bring anything else back."

Regina gave one last look at Robin, Marian, and Roland's family reunion and turned towards the door. Emma reached out for her shoulder, "Regina…" but her hand was shaken off as she bolted out onto Main Street. Regina looked to both her left and her right before deciding to turn left and go to her father's tomb.

She heard the jingle of bells behind her as the door open and turned her head back only enough to see Robin standing in front of the door, Marian soon following as if she couldn't leave him out of her sight. Regina started to jog at a pace that he wouldn't be able to catch up with even if he tried. The lump in her throat was growing larger and larger, and she was doing everything in her power to keep tears from streaming down her face. She passed building after building on the empty street, not noticing what she was passing. Regina started breathing heavily, trying to keep everything in tact just a little while longer.

She found her way to the gates of Storybrooke Cemetery. Doing a quick flick of her hand, the lock sprung off, soaring through the air. She heard a very distant noise and saw a handful of birds flying north about a mile away, but she didn't care. Hastily, she opened the gate and trudged through the graveyard until getting to the cement coliseum that held her dead father's casket.

Digging into her pocket, Regina found a keychain with about ten keys on it. She quickly found the silver one with a symbol matching that of the tomb. Putting the key in and twisting it, Regina opened the door and stormed down the stairs. She swiped her hand to open up the secret door leading down, down, down into a dark room.

Regina closed the heavy door behind her and slid down the wall until her legs were tucked in front of her. Her arms wrapped around her legs and she allowed her head to fall into the perfectly spaced whole between her legs and chest, creating a little sphere. Finally, she let the water that had been held up in her eyes wash down her face. Alone in the dark room, Regina cried, sadness sweeping all throughout her body. Thoughts of pity danced in her head while she remembered how much she cared for Robin.

For a while, Regina stayed like that without moving, no other sounds than the soft sobs escaping her mouth. As if she clicked a switch, her tears of pettiness slowed down, and her heartbroken thoughts of Robin turned into anger and betrayal of Emma. She looked up, her eyebrows meeting together in the middle. She was the Evil Queen, and the queen did not cry over a broken heart.

No. The Evil Queen got revenge.

The room lit up with fires suddenly burning in all the candles as Regina stood up. She went over to the wall that held all her hearts and grabbed the first one she saw, not even acknowledging whose body it could belong to. She slammed it onto the table in the middle of the room without attempting to be gentle with it, swiveled her finger around it while gold dust appeared, flying around it. Marching over to a dresser in the back corner, she took out three vials filled with different colored liquids, a pale blue, a bright purple, and a dark, cloudy green. After slamming those on the table as well, Regina went over to a cabinet filled with tools, grabbing a sharp silver knife and a long spoon. She bent down to look underneath and grabbed a black pot. After setting those next to the heart, she went into the back corner that held tins of different herbs. She found the one with tiny green-and-brown seeds and another with finely grained white powder and brought those to the middle of the room, as well.

As if on cue, someone knocked at the door. Not exactly knowing whom to expect, Regina opened the door and saw Thumbelina standing there in a flowing blue dress. After looking her up and down, she sighed "I guess you'll have to do," grabbing her arm and pulling her into the tomb with too much force. Thumbelina nearly fell to the floor as Regina closed the heavy door behind her.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, staring at the beating heart on the table. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Of course not." Regina replied. "I need you, Thumbelina."

"It's Hallie," the auburn-haired woman stated as she stood up. "If you're not going to kill me, then why did you bring me here?"

"Thumbelina, Thumbelina," Regina said, closing in on the petite girl staring at her and refusing to acknowledge the Storybrooke-name she had given to her. "May I ask who knows you came here?"

"No one, I guess," her eyes opening in fear. "I mean, Pepin will probably…"

"Who?"

Hallie rolled her eyes. "Cornelius." She huffed. "And he'll notice I'm gone later when I don't come home."

"Not my problem," Regina said as she plucked a single hair from her head. "May I?"

"What are you doing, Regina? I need to…" Regina swiped her hand over Hallie's mouth. She became unable to open her mouth, attempting to shout, but unsuccessfully as Regina walked over to her chemistry station.

"God, I forgot how annoying you were." Regina swayed back to the table with her pot on it. "To answer your question," she said slowly as she threw the strand of hair into the pot. "I plan to seek revenge on that sweet savior back at Granny's." Regina took a pinch of the seeds and tossed it in. "And you're going to help me." Hallie shook her head back and forth, as if trying to refuse. "Oh, Thumbelina. You really have no choice. See, I have your heart right here." She lifted the heart as if to show her and took the knife, carefully slicing the tiniest strip and putting it into the pot. "I will be honest with you, thought. Your heart is the first one I grabbed. If I had taken my time, you definitely would not have been my first choice."

Hallie grabbed her chest as Regina cut another, even thinner slice and added it to the other. "Don't worry, I'm all done with this." Regina lifted the heart as if to show her that she wasn't going to harm it any more. When Hallie's eyes still showed hesitation, she walked back to her wall of hearts, found the random drawer she had taken it from originally, and slid it back into place.

"Happy?" Regina turned around to look at the girl, her eyes now wide open in fear. Regina sighed and swept her hand across her face again. "You're lucky I've gone soft, Thumbelina." Hallie's mouth opened again, and she took a few deep breaths as Regina went back to what she was doing.

"Regina, can you please just choose someone else?" Hallie pleaded. "Whatever it is you want me to do, I won't be part of it."

"Not likely. I have your heart, remember? Besides, after I'm done making this, you're not even going to be you anymore." She turned her head and smiled at Hallie. "You aren't even going to remember you anymore."

"What do you mean?" Hallie took a step forward to look at what Regina was concocting in the pot, but instantly took three steps back towards the door.

"Well, you see, Emma decided to bring Marian back from the past," Regina started to explain as she dumped in the blue and green liquids at the same time. "Now, I'm not able to go back and find a 300-year-dead woman named Milah, but I can do the next best thing." Grabbing a handful of white dust, she added it to the pot and stirred it towards the right.

"I don't understand." Hallie stated as her face slid into a confused daze. "How am I at all involved with that?"

Regina took a shallow breath and turned towards the girl. "Are you really that ignorant?" Regina asked. When Hallie had a blank stare, she went back towards her potion and dumped the last purple vial into the pot, stirring it three times to the left and once to the right. "Well, hopefully Milah is a little smarter." With that, Regina smelled the potion and nodded. She looked back at Hallie and sighed. "You know, if you had been more obedient in the Enchanted Forest, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Regina shoved her right arm forward, and Hallie flew back against a wall, stones anchoring her hands and feet to the wall and floor as rocks flew across her chest to buckle her. Taking an empty vial from a drawer on the table she worked over, Regina dipped it into the solution and walked over to Hallie. "Drink up."

Regina poured the liquid down into her mouth, but Hallie spit it right back at her, spraying it all over her face. Regina waved her hand over her face while a purple haze erased it off with magic and closed in on the last few inches in between her and Hallie. "Do not try that again, or there will be worse consequences to pay." With that, Regina refilled the vial and forced her mouth open, dumping it into Hallie's throat and making her swallow it.

"You won't get away with this, Regina," Hallie said as her hair started to turn a dark brown. The long, straight hair that was neatly put in a ponytail was shortening into a frizzy pile while her bright green eyes turned into a muted one. Her face bubbled as her soft features suddenly became sharp, her delicate body filling out as her legs, stomach, arms, and hips grew. The pale skin turned tanner while her outfit swept away into a white peasant's dress.

"I think I already have," Regina chuckled as the woman in front of her was no longer Thumbelina, but replaced by none other than Rumpelstiltskin's wife, Hook's former lover.

Milah.


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since Rumpelstiltskin came back from Zelena's control, he and Belle had been inseparable. Hand in hand, they went everywhere together, from the library, to Granny's, to Gold's shop. They started to play this game while they walked places. Every few steps, Belle would turn towards Rumple and smile at the man next to her, to which he would respond by kissing her somewhere on her face. It was a simple game, but one she enjoyed very much.

The game was hardly a distraction tonight, though. It has only been a few hours since their wedding, and she just couldn't think straight. Right now, most brides would be replaying the ceremony over and over in her head, mentally preparing for whatever was to come later, and Belle self-consciously knew she should do that, too. Belle should be happy, but her mind kept drifting back to the sad woman who had ran out of Granny's. Regina had kept her locked up for longer than 28 years, and she knew many would wonder why she even gave a second thought about her. But deep down, she knew that wasn't Belle. She was good, kind, and caring. No matter how evil Regina had been to her, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman.

But something deeper tugged at her: Robin's response to Marian. He was so happy to see her, hugging her, loving her, joy shown on his face. Belle didn't know Robin too well, let along Robin and Regina's relationship, but it seemed like he completely forgot about her once Marian came back in the picture. In any other circumstance, Belle would have grinned and her heart would have swelled up at the idea of having a family back together, but looking back at her husband walking next to her, getting a little peck on her forehead because he thought they were still playing their game, she couldn't help but wonder if he would do the same thing if Milah came back.

Rumple was a discreet man, even Belle didn't know everything about him. She was unsure if it was just so long ago or if his heart had just been too broken to talk about, but she didn't know much about his first marriage other than everything that spiraled out of control because of it. Her name was Milah, she knew that, and Hook had taken her away from him. Other than that, she really didn't know anything about the woman who had first made him broken. Did he love her? Did he miss her? She could only imagine he had a spot in his heart for the woman who gave him his son, one that she could never fill, even if she did as well.

"What's on your mind, Belle?" Rumpelstiltskin asked her, clearly knowing her head was not with him.

Belle only smiled at him, shaking her head. "It's nothing, Rumple." She stated, swallowing her thoughts about Milah and Regina. "Just thinking about how wonderful tonight has been." _For me, at least_, she added to herself, the guilt of her personal happiness making her sigh.

"Ah, I have been thinking of that too, dear." They rounded a corner. "The sparkle in your eyes when you and your father came to face me…" he trailed off. "I can't remember a time you were more beautiful." Gold continued to talk as Belle nodded, acting as if she was listening. She began thinking again of what happened back at the diner. Regina's eyes turning red with tears and Emma's face of sadness at Regina's words danced around couldn't be erased from her mind. The scene played over and over and over again until she was walking up the steps of her house. Rumpelstiltskin opened up the door, "After you," he said, gesturing his left arm out as she curtsied and walked through.

Belle found her way to the living room and sat on the loveseat, patting the seat next to her. Rumpelstiltskin followed her, waving his hand to dim the lights. She curled up into a little ball and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Rumple."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "I love you, Belle." He responded, rubbing his hand up and down Belle's arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps with each stroke.

They sat in silence, which Belle didn't mind as her thoughts drifted back to Milah. She had to ask more about her, but how could she on their wedding night? She didn't want anything to ruin the bliss that he was clearly feeling, but she couldn't stand thinking about the situation that happened before. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She turned her head towards his, about to ask him what he thought about the night's events before his lips came towards hers, refusing to let her talk when she leaned further into it. His hand slid up her back and found the dip between the back of her neck and head, pulling her even closer while she shifted into a more comfortable position.

They sat there, kissing and pawing at each other and, for a while, all thoughts other than her new husband were escaping her mind. Without a word, Rumple broke apart from her, staring into her eyes, and stood up, opening his right hand out to her. She took it, and together they found their way up the stairs.

* * *

Emma was quiet for the rest of the night at the diner. She would make a little bit of small talk with her parents and Henry (even if her mother continued to say "It's not your fault" over and over again), but for the most part, she just sat in the booth, thinking about what just transpired. She just wanted to save an innocent woman's life. She only wanted to be a hero.

Emma really wanted to be alone tonight, perhaps drink a whole bottle of _anything_ to herself while eating a bag of chocolate, but seeing the boy next to her reminded her that she was a mother and couldn't do things like that. Henry started to yawn and she could see sleepiness in his eyes. "I think that's our cue to go," Emma nodding her head towards her son, starting to stand up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." Emma croaked out. Mary Margaret could see the sadness in Emma's eyes and hear the tone in her voice, knowing what it meant. After living together and knowing her daughter for two years, she knew Emma's signs all too well. She turned to her husband, giving him a silent plea, and he nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Let us take him," David said. "We need to go home with Neal now, anyway, and we would love to hang out with Henry. Why don't you stay here in your room at Granny's tonight?"

Henry's face lighted up at the idea. "Please? Mom, can I stay with Grandma and Grandpa?" His sleepy eyes turned into a puppy dog face, and Emma could only nod at the suggestion. "Yes!" he yelled, his sleepiness clearly gone from him. "Can you teach me some cool sword moves, Grandpa?"

"No," Emma cut in while David gave Henry a wink and a tiny smile. Emma rolled her eyes and mouthed "Thanks" to her mother. Mary Margaret just smiled as she, David, Henry, and Neal got out of the booth. "I'll see you tomorrow, kid." She rustled his hair while she watched her family leave. The bell jingled one last time as the four of them left, and she slumped back into her chair.

She looked around and realized that she was the only one left in the building besides Ruby trying to clean up everyone's mess. "Do you need any help?," Emma tried as she got up and walked over to her friend.

"I'm good right now, thank you," she said, looking up at Emma. "What about do you?" She asked, turning her whole body to face her. Emma's eyes started to well up while she thought about what happened only hours earlier. When Emma didn't respond, Ruby continued, "I know exactly what you need. It always cheers me up!" Ruby walked over behind the bar and ducked down. When she stood up again, she had brought up a bottle of rum with her. She lifted her eyebrow and put on a slight, mischievous grin on her face. "Or, I could just grab some wine instead…" Ruby said, still holding out the rum.

Emma looked back and forth between Ruby and the rum, briefly glancing at the door that leads to the bed and breakfast once before looking back at the rum, then Ruby again. Slowly, she walked over and grabbed the bottle from her, twisted the top, and took a big gulp. The harsh alcohol burned down her throat as she swallowed one-too-many sips for a first drink of the night. She lifted the bottle towards Ruby as if to toast her and said, "Thanks," before walking out. As she closed the door, she heard Ruby giggle and shout, "go get 'em, tiger!", and took another large swig of the liquid before finding her way to her room.

* * *

Robin and Roland had been staying at the mayor's mansion for a while, so going back to lying on a mat the woods had been an adjustment for Roland, complaining about his desire for a "big boy bed". Marian attempted to get him to sleep, but after years of "daddy" doing it, she gave up. It took much longer than usual, but slowly, slowly, his breathing became steady and deep, until finally Robin decided it was a safe bet that he was sleep and could go over by the fire to talk to his very-alive wife.

Marian was looking in a deep trance at the fire, sadness curling her eyes. Robin sat next to her on the bumpy log with a few too many inches in between them. "I can't even get him to sleep," she sighed. "I can't even get my own son to sleep at night."

"He hasn't ever really seen you, Marian. We thought you died when he was only one, he is completely unaware of who you really are, aside from the things I've told him. Plus, after however-many years of daddy getting him to sleep, how could someone else do it on the first try?"

"Has she?" Marian spat, disturbed by the idea that Robin had allowed her son, let alone him, get close to the Queen. The very queen who was all set to kill her, to rip the family apart.

Robin shifted in his spot. "Marian…" was all he could muster out. He didn't know what else to say as she turned towards him, her lips in a frown and eyes asking the million questions he didn't want to answer.

"Well…?" She asked, obviously not letting it go.

"She has a 12 year old son, she knows how to be a mother." When Marian took a sharp breath, he continued. "You do too, of course. You're his mother, his only mother. Regina is good with him, though. She knows how to act around four-year-olds. You just haven't had any real experience yet…" As soon as he said it, he knew that wasn't quite the right thing to say, but he wanted her to be comforted in the thought that Regina knew what she was doing.

Marian turned to look back at the fire. "He said that he's slept in a real bed. Where?" She asked, fearing the answer that she thought may be true.

"Regina's. He's been using Henry's room since Henry has been living with Emma for the past few weeks." Marian's eyes closed and her lips trembled at the thought of him sleeping there.

"He's slept at the Queen's house," she said more to herself than Robin, trying to wrap her mind around it. Robin nodded at her statement. "I cannot believe you let our son sleep in that evil, dangerous woman's house!" She nearly yelled before realizing Roland was sleeping under a tent a few feet away.

"Her name is Regina, Marian," he said calmly. "And did you know she saved him? He really likes her, too." Marian looked back at her husband while he continued. "Regina is good to him, I promise."

"So, I'm guessing you have also slept at _Regina's_ house, then?" Robin nodded again, a ball coming up in his throat as the gears started ticking in his head. He understood where the conversation was going, and this was not what he wanted to talk about tonight. Marian blinked as she went on, "And not in a guest room, I take it?"

Robin wanted to be completely honest with her, but also knew the truth was going to hurt her. He was so happy to see Marian again, but Regina was tugging on his mind, as well. Trying to decide on the least offensive words, he replied, "Yes, Regina and I are… were… in an intimate relationship, yes."

"Do you love her?" she blurted out.

"Marian… Do we have to talk about this? You just got back and this is such a deep conversation and it's so late…"

"Robin," she grabbed both sides of his face and jerked them to her. "I want to know, please."

"It's so new, I don't know what to say," Robin was talking in circles, flustered. "Regina's a good person, Marian, and I really do care for her."

Marian winced at his unwanted candor. "She must have put a love spell on you. Did you drink anything from her? Take anything from her? Do…"

"Marian, please." He turned and kneeled in front of his wife. "Regina hasn't put me under a spell, I promise."

"But she's the evil queen, Robin." When he didn't respond, she repeated in a quieter voice, "she's the evil queen."

Robin put his hand on Marian cheek. "She was the evil queen. Now, she's Regina."

He kneeled in front of her for a long time while Marian scanned his face, looking for signs that this was not real, that he could never be with anyone else, let alone the evil queen. Finally, she whispered, "What was that awful food I ate tonight?"

Robin chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "That would be a hotdog, my dear." He leaned in and pecked the space between her eyebrows. "and I'm happy you're here."

Marian did her best to smile at him. "I wish I could say the same, Robin, I do…" but before she could finish what she was saying, Robin pulled her into a kiss. It was very hesitant on both parties, and he pulled apart sooner than they would have before. "I think we need some sleep," Marian breathed.

"I think so, too." He said. They walked over to the tent where Roland was sleeping and found the other mat to sleep on. Cuddling with his wife, she fell asleep very quickly, leaving him the only Locksley still awake.

His mind raced through everything he was thinking, mostly of the pain on Regina's face and how he wished he was with her right now. The one thing that kept coming back to the front of his mind was the question Marian asked him. _"Do you love her?"_ and his lame response,_ "I really do care for her." _The scene replayed in his mind for the fifteenth time before he finally admitted to himself, _Yes, I do love her, and I think I just screwed that up by coming here with you._

He pushed the thought away as he tried to fall asleep. The last thing to cross his mind before drifting off to sleep was how crossed Roland was – he wants to be in a real bed right now.

* * *

After about an hour of un-allowed sword-fighting lessons, Henry finally trumped to his room, unable to stand any longer. David tucked him in and turned off the light, closing the door behind him. He walked down the stairs to see Mary Margaret at the island, waiting for him. "Emma's going to be mad when she finds out you were letting him play with a sword," she smiled as he crossed over to the fridge, grabbed a water bottle, and came to sit next to her.

"Oh, and you're going to tell her?" he teased. "Besides, they were wood swords. The worst that could happen would be that he'd get a bruise."

"Well, if she saw you in the state you're in right now, that wouldn't be the case."

"Twelve year olds have so much energy," he replied. "I always think of myself as a young person until I hang out with young people. Then I realize…" gesturing towards his overly sweaty shirt, "I'm clearly old."

Mary Margaret leaned in and kissed him. "Well, you have at least 18 more years that you have to act young. Then, we can be "clearly old" together." David laughed as he took a sip from his water bottle. "Neal fell asleep about 20 minutes ago," she stated.

"Henry's on his way, if he hasn't fallen asleep already." David responded. "I think we might have this parenting-thing down."

"Shhh… You're going to jinx it!" She put a finger over his lips, trying to listen for any movement from either boy. David kissed her finger, then drew her in for another quick kiss on the lips.

"What are we going to do about Emma? She feels just awful." David said, sadness rolling into his eyes when he thought of the pain behind Emma's face during dinner.

"You're worried about Emma? What are we going to do about Regina?" Mary Margaret countered. "Regina feels so much, and I'm afraid she is going to do something that will put us all in jeopardy because of it."

"We shouldn't have left either of them alone tonight. Who knows what stupid thing they're going to do." David sighed.

Mary Margaret cupped her hand around his left cheek. "We can check in with both of them tomorrow. I think they'll be okay for one night."

"I'm not so sure–" a baby's cry interrupted David's thought, the sound coming from the second door on the right up the stairs.

"Your turn. You were the one who jinxed it." Mary Margaret said.

* * *

With the bottle of rum half gone, Emma stood up from the bed and sloppily walked towards the door from her room at Granny's. She tripped over her foot and giggled as she fell down, the bottle landing on the floor in front of her. "The rum!" Emma shrieked as she grabbed it before too much fell out, taking a sip as if to make sure it was still there.

She pulled her body back up and finally got the door open, slumping her way across the hall. She knocked on the door three times. "Kill… Killl…. Hook, I know you're…" she burped loudly, interrupting her sentence and causing her to laugh hysterically. She knocked a couple more times on the door. She finally heard stirring inside and felt the door shake as the man on the other side started to grab at the handle.

He opened the door, naked from the waist up, clearly just sleeping. "Emma, what are you…?"

"Whoa! Look at that BOOOOOOODYYYYYYY." Emma garbled, tracing the lines of his abs through his dark hair. "If I had known that was under there, I wouldn't have taken so long to kiss you."

"Are you… Are you drunk?" Killian asked slowly.

Emma proudly held up the bottle of rum. "Ruby suggested it."

She took another swig before Killian grabbed it from her. "I think you've had enough, lass."

Emma reached for the jar but ended up falling on top of Killian. He caught her in time, and Emma smiled at him. "Sexy and strong. Just the kind of man I like." She giggled as Killian set down the bottle on the table and brought her over to the bed. "Just what I was thinking too, Kill!" She sang, still smiling and giggling. "Let's do this!" She reached down and started to take her shirt off over her head, but she got it caught on her head. She burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world. "I think I'm stuck!"

"Emma…" Killian reached over and helped her get untangled from her shirt, bringing it back down her stomach.

"Wrong way, Captain!" Emma slurred, reaching down for the shirt again.

Killian held his hand in front of her to stop her from stripping. "Why did you drink half a bottle of rum?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emma leaned in towards his face, puckering her lips to give him a kiss. Killian backed up, though, and Emma fell onto the bed, another round of giggles escaping her lips. When she sat up, she continued. "I thought you wanted this, Captain? Or should I just go back in time and find the old Hook? He was more than willing!"

"Emma…" Was all he could say before she was hanging on him again. He pushed her off his body and scooted away from her. "Emma…"

She looked at him, her mood swinging faster than he'd seen in a while, her lip starting to pout and her eyes tearing up. "Don't you want me?" She cried out before tears officially fell from her eyes and her breathing sped up.

"Yes, but… No… Is this about Regina and Marian?" He questioned.

Emma slammed her head into her arms, falling onto the pillow behind her. "This isn't about them, Killiannnnn… I just want to sleep with you! RIGHT NOW!" She sat back up, stabled herself, and grabbed his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. "Please! Please!" She straddled him and started to untie his leather pants.

In one swift move, Emma was lying on her back on his bed and Killian was standing over by the table. "Emma, you're drunk and emotional. And probably tired. You need to go to sleep."

Emma sat up, about to tell him off before she leaned behind the nightstand and vomited all over. Killian let out a frustrated sigh and reached for a tissue to clean up her face. "Thank you," she gagged as he went to the bathroom to grab a washcloth. He started cleaning up her mess when she turned on her side to face him. "Why don't I ever listen to you, Killian?"

"You're a stubborn woman, Emma."

"But you're always right. You were right in New York, you were right in Storybrooke, you were right in the Enchanted Forest. I never listen to you. Why am I so…." She swallowed whatever was coming up her throat. "I should have never brought Marian here. And now Regina… We were starting to be in a good place, Killian!"

Killian finished cleaning with one last swipe and turned back towards her. "There's no arguing with you there, Swan." She reached out to playfully punch him, but ended up hitting her hand on the nightstand and shouting swear words. "Who knew drunk Emma cursed like a sailor?"

"I'm serious, Killian." Emma started to get flustered again. "It's all my fault. I ruin everything. I make bad decisions."

"You're the savior, Emma. You may be stubborn, but you also do what is best. Look at me! I was about to let a woman die, but you knew it wouldn't be the right thing to do."

Emma lied on her back and covered her eyes. "Whyyyyyy is it sooo bright in hereeee?" Emma whined, ignoring everything he just said.

Killian walked over to the light switch and turned off the light. "Better?" When he saw Emma nodding in the dark, he fell into the chair and continued talking. "Emma, how would you feel right now if you hadn't saved Marian?"

Emma giggled, again. "HAPP-PAYY" she shouted.

"No. You may be in a good place with Regina, but your internal guilt from leaving a woman to die would be eating you alive right now. Lass, you did the right thing." He heard Emma's breathing slow down.

"So, was this" gesturing between the two of them, "a bust then?" Emma asked, switching topics immediately. "'Cause you're kind of killing the mood, Killian."

Killian chuckled. "For tonight? Yes."

Emma sighed. "Can I stay here at least? I don't want to be alone." Emma took a deep breath as she shut her eyes, letting out a long breath at the good feeling that the simple act brought her.

"Of course. I can sleep in the chair – I've slept in worse places."

"Don't be stupid, Hoooooook." Her words were slurred. He winced when she called him Hook, but knew it was only because of the rum. "I promise I won't try anything."

Killian walked around the bed and found his shirt, pulling it over his head before falling under the covers, giving space in between him and Emma. Emma let out a breath and grabbed his arm while pulling him into a spooning position.

She quickly fell asleep, and Killian just lied there, hugging her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. He internally laughed at the hangover she was going to have tomorrow, and slowly closed his eyes at the thought. Smiling, he snuggled into the woman who had become the love of his life.

* * *

Regina paced in front of the body still tied up by the rocks holding her against the wall. "Ah, Milah. I've only heard bits and pieces about you." Milah was twisting in the wall, trying to break free. "Tell me, Milah, who would be the first person you would look for if I were to let you go?"

"What does that even mean?" Milah questioned, her eyes closing to tiny slits, trying to figure out the woman who had her trapped. "How did I get here? Who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Regina. And how you got here is really not your concern. I want to know. If I let you go, who is going to be the first person you seek?"

Milah stopped wiggling, deciding it was useless, and stared at the woman holding her captive. "And why would I tell you anything?"

"Just tell me, Milah." When the woman shook her head, showing no sign of talking, Regina continued, "Or I'll have to resort to other measures."

Regina pulled up a stool and set it in front of Milah. She sat down, crossed her legs, and raised her left hand. Fire sprung into a ball, and Milah's eyes widened in fear. "That's what I thought. Now tell me, Milah. Who would you go see if I were to let you go?"

"Killian Jones. Captain Killian Jones." Milah responded.

"Excellent." Regina smiled, extinguishing the fire in her hand. "I have a feeling we will become very good friends, Milah."


	3. Chapter 3

Regina had somehow made her way back to the mansion during the middle of the night. She had locked Milah in one of the guest rooms, laughing at how soft she had gone since coming to Storybrooke. The Evil Queen would never have locked someone in a nice room before.

She was now sitting at her counter, drinking a cup of coffee after the little sleep she had. It was barely morning, but she had a lot of planning to do.

Regina's mind ran through different scenarios that could involve Milah. She thought about just throwing her in front of Hook and Emma, letting them hash it out like Marian and the Locksleys' had to. But, she wanted a more subtle introduction. One where the women he hasn't thought about since the cave in Neverland (Mary Margaret had told her bits and pieces of what happened), was suddenly creeping up on him. But first, she needed to know how much Emma loved Killian; that was going to be difficult to figure out.

There was a ring from the doorbell, tugging her from her thoughts. She spun her head to the door, turning back to look at the clock on the microwave before walking over and opening to see whom her guest was.

Henry stood in front of her with Mary Margaret holding Neal in a sling around her chest. She held a basket of fruit in the other and smiled at her stepmother. Henry ran up and hugged Regina around her midsection. "Mom!" he smiled into her.

"Henry! What are you doing here?" Regina asked, hesitantly looking inside, hoping he couldn't see any trace of vengeance on her face.

"He wanted to see you," Mary Margaret interrupted. "And, he wanted to check out his old room and see if everything was still there after the second curse."

Regina pulled Henry back from the hug and smiled. "You know where your room is." He quickly ran past her into the room he grew up in before leaving for New York for a year.

"May I come in, Regina?" Mary Margaret asked, testing the waters to figure out Regina's mood after the night before. "I brought you some fruit, and I would love to sit and chat a little bit."

Regina felt her body tense, but let it go. "Of course." She gestured her in, plastering a fake smile onto her face. Mary Margaret took that to be an invitation, and walked in with still sleeping Neal in the sling. "I just poured myself a cup of coffee, would you like some?"

"That would be nice, thank you." Mary Margaret responded, stepping towards the mansion's kitchen. Regina went to cupboard and pulled out a white mug and filled it three quarters of the way up and passed it to her. She took a shot at looking at the hallway where Milah was trapped in a room, but quickly brought her eyes down to her stepdaughter. Mary Margaret began what she clearly came over about. "I wanted to talk to you, Regina, and make sure you're okay."

Regina swallowed. "Why would I not be okay?" she asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

"Well, I know you and Robin have grown close, and with Marian back in the picture... It's a difficult situation, Regina." Mary Margaret rambled.

"Why would you care? You have a perfect little family, and the last thing I need is pity from you." Regina shot back.

"You're my stepmother, Regina. I really do care for you, despite all the history between us." Mary Margaret confessed. "I still see the woman who saved me from the horse when I look at you. I see the woman who brushed my hair at night and let me try on her gorgeous Queen gowns," she smiled, placing a hand over Regina's outstretched one. "The town might not completely understand why I would ever want to be friends with you, but I really do care for you, Regina."

"I'm fine. I don't need anyone feeling bad for me." Regina responded, noticing Mary Margaret's face fall a little, but kept the smile on as best as she could.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, then. Tell me, have you talked to Robin at all since last night?"

"No. I've kept to myself mostly. And really, I don't need to talk about anything." Neal started to stir in the sling, and Mary Margaret stood to pace the room. "Is there anything else you need, Ms. Blanchard?"

"I just want to talk with you, Regina." Mary Margaret responded, soothing the baby with her voice and placing the nuk back in his mouth.

Regina was starting to get irritated. She took a few steps forward until she was face-to-face with the girl who ruined her life. "Thank you, Snow White," she spat out her real name, which Mary Margaret flinched, knowing mothers only used a full name when they were mad. "But, really, I am fine." She said each syllable with harsh tones, and Mary Margaret knew that her attempt was not going to be successful.

"Can Henry stay a little bit?" Mary Margaret asked, before turning towards the hallway to go to the front door. "He misses you, now that he remembers you're his mother, too."

"Of course he can stay here, he's my son!" Regina's voice rose, gesturing towards the door.

"Yes... I just meant... Well, bye, Regina" Mary Margaret replied, leaving the house. "I'm glad to hear you're okay."

Regina nearly slammed the door behind her. She quickly ran to the guest room adjacent to the kitchen and unlocked it with a twist of her hand. She found Milah pacing the room, unsure of all the modern technology around her. Regina chuckled, thinking about how Hook acts the same way, an evil grin tugging at her face. "Milah!" she hissed. The brown haired woman turned to face her. "My son is here. If you are not completely silent until I come back, I will personally rip Killian's heart out and crush it in front of you. Do you understand me?" Regina asked.

Milah only nodded quickly and sat down on the bed.

* * *

Emma's head was pounding when she felt herself come back into consciousness. Her thoughts first drifted to the memory of Regina accusing her the night before, when she unknowingly ruined her happiness. She took a deep breath, attempting to release the pain in her head at the same time as erasing all memories of the night before.

She felt a rustling occur next to her, and she stilled. _What happened after?_ She asked herself as she willed her left eye open to see what was next to her. Her mouth opened when she saw Killian sleeping next to her, quickly using her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to prevent her from saying anything. She looked down, thanking god that she still had clothes on, although disheveled. Emma's heart began to race as she quietly pulled the covers off of her and tip toed to the door, each step reminding herself of the headache she was trying to ignore.

"Leaving so early, Swan?" Killian mumbled, opening his eyes.

"Well, umm..." Emma was at a loss of words. "I need to... Henry's waiting... What happened last night, Killian?"

"You mean before or after you attempted to sleep with me?" Killian asked, chuckling as he slid out of bed. "I won't lie, Swan. It's quite flattering that I was the one you sought out for a midnight escapade." Emma let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she saw that he was fully clothed, as well, rolling her eyes at his comment. Killian nodded his head towards the bottle of rum on the table. "Ruby gave you that, and you certainly enjoyed it." Killian walked over to the mini-fridge underneath the sink and pulled out a water bottle, slowly closing the space between him and Emma. "Here, you need some water in you. You're running on pure rum right now."

"Thanks," Emma grabbed the water bottle and started chugging it, her brain pounding with each swallow. "Um, Killian? Did we... Do anything?" Emma asked, nervous for the answer.

"Well, despite your lack of trying, Swan, we really did just sleep last night." Taking two steps closer, Emma could smell Killian's pirate scent. Usually, it would make her weak in the knees, but the hangover was making her nauseous. "Are you ready to talk about Regina yet?"

"No." Emma responded too quickly, turning towards the door that led to the hallway.

"Okay. Well, when you're ready, you know where my room is." Killian placed a slight kiss on her forehead. Emma nodded and took the door handle, turning it until it swung open.

She crept across the hall and found she left her room unlocked the night before. She turned back to see Killian in the doorway, watching her. "Later?" was the one word that fell from her mouth.

"What was that, lass?"

"I really need to take care of this hangover right now, but can we talk later?" Emma asked. "Maybe tonight? At some place other than Granny's?"

"Aye, love." Killian grinned at her. "Like I said, you know where I'll be."

Emma nodded, but could barely think anymore. She turned into her room, closing the door behind her. Emma walked over to her bed and fell right in it, her head still pounding. Frustrated, she noticed she left the lights on the previous night. She swiped her hand, the room went completely dark and the window shades turned black. She took in a deep breath to calm herself, and within minutes, found herself back asleep.

* * *

Robin barely slept during the night, and finally decided it was the point where it was too early to really be up but too late to fall back asleep for the day. Once he determined he should just get up, he crawled out of the tent until he reached the clearing that he and Marian talked at the night before. Wanting to forget the memory, he trudged on, walking through the woods, following uncharted paths, until he reached the edge that touched the beach. Looking out over the lake, he sat down and dug his feet in the unfamiliar sand, deciding that he just needed some time to think.

His first instinct was to immediately run to the mayor's house, hoping she was there. But, he also knew that would open up a can of worms, one he was not quite ready for. He thought about going back to camp, but dismissed that even quicker. He didn't want to face Marian, either. _You're a coward! _Robin thought to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. In the distance, he saw a figure walking closer to him, stopping every few steps to pick something up from the sand. Robin squinted, hoping to figure out who it was so he could decide if he wanted to talk to it or not.

The figure came closer and closer until he could finally make out whom it was. In a split second, he realized he had to talk to someone, and the person coming towards him was the best he could do at the moment.

He waved his hand above his head, "Eric! What are you doing up already?"

Eric laughed. "Maritime, my friend." He finally made it to Robin and smiled. "The question is, what are you doing up?"

"Sleep eluded me, I'm afraid." Robin replied. "I'm sure you heard about Marian."

"Ah, yes. Maid Marian. How did she enjoy her first night in Storybrooke?" Eric gestured to some sand next to Robin, silently asking if he could sit down. When Robin nodded in reply, Eric turned to face the lake with Robin and settled down next to him. "I hope she's adjusting well."

"She's afraid, hurt, disturbed... Unsure really what to think about it." Even quieter, he admitted, "Or me."

"Why is that?" Eric asked, probing for more information.

"Well, I'm sure you know I've been... involved... with Regina for a little bit." Robin started. When Eric nodded, he continued. "I'm afraid Marian doesn't like that I have gotten so close to the Evil Queen. She even accused her of using a love potion on me!"

Eric hesitated, "She didn't, right?"

Robin chuckled at patted Eric's back. "Alas, she did not. I really have begun to fall for the woman, despite her history."

"You're a good man, Robin, you know that, right?" Eric asked.

"It doesn't feel that way right now. Right now, I feel like I have cheated on Marian with Regina, but I feel the same way towards Regina. I don't know what to do." Robin turned to face his confidant. "What should I do?"

"I can't answer that for you, Robin." He responded. "But I do know one thing. You have to follow your heart. What is it telling you?"

"That I'm a changed man. Marian's death only made me stronger." Robin sighed. "That I have moved on and wish to leave my old life in hope that this new one will be everything I dreamed." He started drawing shapes in the sand. "I really don't know how you get used to this, Eric. It feels so peculiar."

Eric smiled, "Sand is quite odd, isn't it? But the woods you're so fond of," jerking his head twice towards the forest he just escaped from, "is even odder."

Robin smiled and took another deep breath. "Tinkerbelle did a spell with Regina back in the Enchanted Forest years before I even met Marian. Apparently, Regina and I are soul mates, that we are true loves."

"And what do you think? Do you think she's your true love?"

Robin's eyes filled with water until they were brimming. "I think she is."

"And of Marian?"

"I love her, too. But, the love I feel for her now, or even back before her death, doesn't feel the same. It's strong, but also weak. I can't leave her, though. What kind of man would I be if she traveled through time to find me, afraid and unsure of this land? And Roland, oh, he needs a mother." Robin laughed at his situation. "I am in love with the women who attempted to kill my wife."

"It's complicated, Robin," he said. "Sitting here, talking to me is not going to solve anything, though."

"Would you like to trade lives for a bit, Eric?" Robin joked.

"Not a chance." Eric responded. "What do you want to do?"

Robin stood up. "First, I need to get breakfast going for my wife and son. Then, I think I need to visit Regina. I'm afraid I never got a chance to speak to her last night before she left."

Eric followed his cue, standing up as well. "I wish you luck, Robin. Let me know if you need anything from me or Ariel."

Robin patted his back again. "I may take you up on that someday, Eric."

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin turned to look at his beautiful bride lying next to him, tangled in the blanket. He smiled at the memory of the previous night. He stared at Belle and tried to memorize every feature, every curve, every scar of her face and body.

Belle's eyes opened up, smiling back at him. "Hello, Mrs. Gold." Rumpelstiltskin said. Belle smiled at her new name, the thoughts of last night catching up with her.

She moved over in the bed until she was right next to her husband and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Hello yourself, Rumple." Belle lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek. "Last night was fun," she smiled playfully.

"Ah, yes. I couldn't agree more." Gold smiled at her, bring her in for another, longer kiss. "Would you like to go out for breakfast? Or would you rather stay here."

Belle sat up to keep her back against the headboard, pulling the blanket with her to keep herself covered. "I think here is fine." Belle replied.

"In that case, why don't you stay here while I go make you some breakfast." He kissed her one last time on her nose, then swung his legs over the side of the bed and made his way over to a pile of clothes left hastily on the floor from the previous night. He tossed them in the laundry basket before going to his dresser and pulling out some clothes and putting them on before leaving the room.

Belle pulled down the covers and made her way to her closet, suddenly embarrassed by her nudeness. She found a pink lacey dress and a matching tan belt and slipped it on. She came out to look at herself in the mirror and noticed her hair was all out of sorts. She quickly brushed through it, putting a bobby pin in to pull back her bangs.

As if getting dressed suddenly made her remember what happened the previous night, Belle gasped as she recalled what happened at Granny's. Marian, Regina, Robin, Emma, all faces popping into her head as she remembered it all. Belle found a pair of tan sandals and put them on as she tried to push everything out of her mind.

She turned back towards the mirror to begin putting on her make up and thoughts of Milah drifted into her brain. Why hadn't he told her more about her? Belle told him about her relationships with Gaston and La Feu, even telling him that she wishes she knew where Gaston was (and how much she regretted La Feu). But Milah? Nothing. No information whatsoever.

She decided she needed to ask him about her, just to ease her mind. Deep down, she knew she had nothing to worry about, but the thought of her kept tugging at her heart, and she had to know more.

She found her way downstairs to the kitchen where Rumpelstiltskin finished decorating two plates with matching food. "Come, Belle," he brought the plates to the table. "I was going to bring this up to you, but now that you're here..."

Belle smiled and bent her head down a little, "Thank you, my husband." and sat down at one of the chairs. Rumpelstiltskin left to get her a glass of water while she took her fork and shoved a bit of egg into her mouth. "Can I ask you something?" Belle asked. "It may be a sensitive topic, Rumple."

Gold placed the cup on the table and sat in the chair opposite of her. "Anything, Belle." He reached for his fork and went to pick up a cut piece of cantaloupe on his plate.

"Tell me about Milah," Belle requested, noticing him stop the fork in it's track and placing it back down on the plate. "I mean, I just don't know much about her, and I want to know everything about you."

"Is this about the misfortune that has come of Regina?" Rumpelstiltskin asked. "I feel sorry for the queen, too."

"You didn't answer my question, Rumple." Belle grabbed another bite of egg. "And, I guess it has a little bit to do with Regina, Marian, and Robin."

"She's a memory of the past, dearie," was his response. "No need to worry yourself about it."

"I just want to know more-"

"I said, you don't have to worry. We can't time travel, and I don't think I'd want her back, anyway. She hurt me too much, Belle. She was the one who unconsciously drove me to become the dark one, the very man you have saved. Let's not ruin our first morning as newlyweds by bringing up the past."

Belle nodded, giving a tiny smile, dropping her gaze to her food again. His response made her wary, but she knew that Rumpelstiltskin wasn't going to say anything more on the topic, and decided to just change the subject. "Can we go to the library today?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't show any signs of being upset.

"Anything you want, Belle."

* * *

Emma heard a loud pounding on her door at Granny's, waking her up. When the person knocking on her door clearly was not giving up, she stood up and walked over to it, grabbing her head and wishing she could just go back to sleep. When the knock happened again, Emma took the handle and started to say, "Killian, I don't want to talk about Regina right now. We'll talk later, okay? I'm still hungover from last night and-" Emma gulped as she saw the man standing in front her was not Killian, but her father, David. "Hi, dad. Um, what are you doing here?" she asked, slightly embarrassed that she was talking about drinking and assuming it would be Killian that she saw.

David took a step in and the smell of alcohol rushed over his nose. "Emma, what were you doing last night?" He walked towards the table and sat down in the open chair. "It smells terrible in here!"

Emma walked over to the bed, stepping a soggy spot on the carpet, figuring that it must be spilled rum from the night before. She lied down and closed her eyes. "Yes, David. I got drunk last night."

David chuckled. "You're a thirty year old woman, Emma. Really, you don't have to explain your actions to me... Although it does cause some alarm that the first thing you said was that you were thinking about Regina." David leaned in, more serious than before. "Do you want to talk about it with me?"

Emma opened her eyes to look at her father, thinking of only a few people she would want to talk less to about it. "No."

Sadness glossed over David's face before he put on a smile and said, "Well, okay then." Leaning back into a more comfortable position, he continued. "So, why did you assume it would be Killian coming to see you?"

Emma looked like she was caught in a trap. She didn't quite know her feelings about Killian yet, only that she wanted him lying next to her right now instead of talking to her father. The faint memory of kissing him outside of Granny's was weaving it's way back into her brain, stirring butterflies in her stomach and pushing out all thoughts of the Locksley family reunion. Emma did everything in her power to keep a straight face and go back to her conversation with her father. "We talked this morning. I was going back into my room and before I left, I told him we'd talk later. I guess I assumed..."

"Why were you in his room this morning?" David asked, Emma smiling that that was the piece of information he decided to press further on. "If you were drunk and he did anything to you last night, I'll..."

"Stop, dad." Emma interrupted his threats. "I just went over there to see how he was this morning. We had a long trip to the past yesterday, if you forgot." Emma lied, hoping he believed it. "I was exhausted and knew he would be, too."

"Oh, yes, of course..." David eased up again, looking slightly guilty of his sudden outburst.

"He's a good man." Emma stated. "And frankly, I think you like him."

"Ah, but he is not the man I would expect to be knocking on my door in the morning. Tell me, Emma, what exactly is..." he hand circled towards the door leading to Killian's room, "that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I see how happy he makes you. Very few people make you smile, you know. Your mother, Henry, and Killian are the only three I see do it on a regular basis." He stood up and walked over to sit next to his daughter, brushing through her hair. "I won't lie, Emma, he really cares about you."

Emma shyly looked at him, curling up into a little ball. "I know."

"And I think you care about him, too."

Emma couldn't handle how deep the conversation had suddenly gotten. "Thanks for the visit, dad, but I really don't want to talk right now. I drank a half bottle of rum last night and it hasn't proven to be a good idea yet this morning."

"Rum? That was your alcoholic drink of choice?" David grinned as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Well, just know that I approve."

"Of rum?" Emma asked.

"Sure. Of rum." He laughed as he got up and left the room, turning off the lights on his way out.

Emma watched as he closed the door, leaving her alone in the dark. She rolled to her back and looked at the ceiling and thought, _I approve of rum, too. How did this happen? I never wanted to approve of rum._

* * *

Regina knocked on Henry's door and opened it to see him sitting at his desk, analyzing his old baseball glove. She smiled at the memory of Henry as an 8 year old, running into her arms after a baseball game, asking her if she saw the double he hit during the game, shouting that he was going to be a professional baseball player when he grows up. "May I come in?" she asked, already stepping through when he turned and nodded at her.

"Mom, I have so much to talk to you about! The past year in New York was so much fun, but I want to know about what happened during your year!" he stood up and pulled her into the room, offering her the chair he was sitting on and sat on the bed instead. "You went back to the Enchanted Forest for the first time in 28 years! It must have been so fun to be back!" Henry was grinning and speaking faster than his lips could handle.

"The Enchanted Forest was… different." She said, slowly. "I missed you very much, Henry."

"I wish I could say I missed you too, mom, but you put that memory spell on me." Henry replied. "It makes me sad to think I went a whole year not remembering my own mother."

"I'm glad you didn't." Regina explained. "If you had, you would have been miserable, and it sounds like New York was very fun."

Henry began to talk about pizza, his friends, school, video games, until finally, "Can you believe Mom almost got engaged to Walsh?"

Regina drew in an overly dramatic response, although he didn't notice it wasn't real in all his excitement. "Tell me more about Walsh, Henry." Regina probed, knowing this might be her chance to get information about Emma and Killian.

"Why do you want to know about _him_? He's out of the picture." Absently, he found a comic book on his nightstand and started reading it. "Besides, she never loved him like she loves Killian, although she refuses to admit it." Henry turned a page, continuing to mindlessly talk to his mother. "I wish she would, already. They're perfect for each other."

"Why do you say that?" Regina asked.

"Because they're both so similar. They lost people they love," turned a page, "and grew up without a family… Although Killian had Liam, of course. My other mom rarely talks honestly with people, and he brings it out of her." Henry set down his comic book and reached over to the monkey stuffed animal lying on the floor. "I don't remember this, mom. Where is it from?"

Regina's throat tightened. "It's Roland's… Robin's son. He must have left it the last time he was here."

Henry sat up and the sound of Robin's name. "I can't believe my mom is dating ROBIN HOOD! How cool is that?" Henry asked.

Regina only slightly nodded her head. "Yes, very cool." Regina said, mono-toned, not knowing what else to say. She didn't really know where Robin stood, or what Marian and him were doing right now.

"Did you meet Marian last night, mom?" he asked, oblivious to what her coming back could mean to Robin and Regina's relationship. "Robin looked happy to see her!"

Regina barely got out, "I did notice that."

Henry held out the stuffed monkey to his mother, offering it to her. "You should bring this back to Roland. He probably misses it."

"Yes, of course."

"Can I stay here tonight, Mom? I would love to sleep in my bed again." Henry asked, and Regina's heart swelled at the thought of him staying here again. Then the thought of Milah just a floor lower, locked in the guest room creeped into her head.

"I'm sorry, Henry. Tonight I have a lot of… work to do. Would you like to stay the weekend, though?" Henry's shoulders hunched a little bit. "It's only two days away, and Emma probably wants to see you, anyway. She has been busy lately, and hasn't really gotten a chance to talk to you about any changes that might happen."

"You're right, mom. Can I at least stay a little longer?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll just be downstairs if you need me." She held up the stuffed monkey. "Thanks for this, Henry. I'll make sure Roland gets it back."

She turned and closed the door behind her. Instead of going to the kitchen, though, she went into a door she kept locked from Henry and all other visitors. Closing it behind her, she went through cabinets and drawers until she found all the ingredients to a truth serum. She began throwing pinches of this and dashes of that into a pot and stirring it every so often.

Once she determined it was done, she took a vial, bottled up two ounces, and put it in her pocket until she was ready to use it.

She just needed to find a way to get David alone.

* * *

Belle was swinging in the backyard, reading a book while Rumpelstiltskin watched her from the window. He turned and went into his study and locked the door behind him, sitting at the large wooden desk.

He thought of the night before and how happy he was to finally be married to the love of his life. But, asking about Milah brought some emotions he hadn't thought about in a while to the front of his brain. Pressing his temples and closing his eyes, he remembered the women he was so in love with over 300 years ago.

At the time, she was his everything, and there was no going back from those feelings. Her betrayal tore at his heart, though, and the thought of putting Baelfire to bed every night with him asking where his mother was was more painful that he wanted to think about. His anger towards Hook began to rise, reminding himself of their first meeting.

He thought of his time before that, though, and remembered the angel who had cared for him, who had helped him when he was sick and made him smile when he was sad. He thought of their long walks around the village, holding hands, and the kisses they would steal when no one was watching. She also gave him the greatest gift of all: Baelfire. Nothing, not even marrying Belle, was comparable to the first time he saw his son after coming home from war. He loved him more than life itself, and Milah was the reason for it.

Gold picked up a glass ball and threw it towards the wall, shattering it into tiny pieces. He leaned back in the chair and thought about what his life would be like right now if Milah hadn't left, if she had stayed with him, if he didn't leave war as a coward. Although he knew he'd be long dead by now, Milah and him may have grown old together. They may have seen Baelfire grow up, seen him marry a nice villager, had a few grandchildren, and lived out their days together, happy. He would have never become the dark one, and he would have still had the excited spirit in himself that has long since died.

He regretfully admitted to himself that he still loved Milah somewhere in his heart, despite the pain she caused him. He stood up and limped over to the window to look at his current wife, without his cane, who sitting on a swing and reading a book. The woman before him made him smile, and reminded him that he has light in his life again, after too many years of darkness. Then, the picture changed, and he saw Milah swinging, knitting a scarf. He shook his head, as if that would make him erase the image before him.

Gold grabbed his cane and walked through the house until he made it to the backyard. "What are you reading, Belle?" he asked, adding her name to remind himself that it was indeed his wife swinging in front of her.

Belle started going on about a new series she was reading called, "The Hunger Games". Her animated face made him smile and sit down on the bench across from her, nodding at every twist and turn she talked about.

Thoughts of Milah left while he was watching his wife talk. She was everything to him, and he decided that no one would ever compare to the beauty talking before him.

They sat in the garden for a very long time, Belle eventually going back to reading her book.

As he was watching her, Belle suddenly vanished as the thought of Milah flew in front of him again. "I'm tired, Belle. I think I am going to take a nap."

Belle stood up and crossed over to him, placing her hand on his arm. "Find me when you wake, Rumple."

Gold just smiled and went back into the house and found his way to the bedroom, hoping he could just sleep off any thoughts of Milah.


	4. Chapter 4

Marian could feel herself waking up. With her eyes still closed, she found herself replaying the previous night in her head. The thoughts sickened her, and all she wanted to do was go back to the Enchanted Forest, regretting trusting Leia and Charles, or apparently Emma and Killian, at all.

Marian hadn't slept well ever since the Evil Queen captured her, afraid to fall asleep in fear she might be murdered during the night. She really thought that sleeping next to Robin would help calm her, like he used to when they were a family, but when he was holding her the night before, she never felt more alone. She wondered if he would ever be able to comfort her again.

Marian opened her eyes and rolled over to the other side, but Robin was nowhere to be found. She put her hand over his side of the mat and found that it was cold, realizing that he must have been gone for some time. _Don't jump to conclusions, Marian,_ she told herself, but she couldn't help but think he went to see _her_.

She sat up and straightened out her dress. She leaned over to the still-sleeping Roland and kissed his hair, making him move in his slumber. Marian held her breath, hoping she hadn't just woken her child. _I really don't know how to be around a four-year-old, even if he is my son_. She sighed internally and left the tent.

To her dismay, Robin was not at the campsite, and she didn't see any of his merry men around, either. No one was there. She walked over to a log and sat down, trying to figure out this place.

Her mind kept drifting back to Robin and the Evil Queen. How could he betray her like that? How could he be in a romantic relationship with such a horrible woman? She tried to kill her and, apparently in the past, had originally succeeded. The idea of him kissing her, of doing things with her, made her heart break. Not only did she feel like he was being unfaithful, but he was also doing it with the one person who hurt her the most. It was a slap in the face, and just thinking about it made her want to rip her hair out.

Then, Marian looked around herself. She was in a forest, what she was used to. But last night? At that tavern they called, "Granny's Diner"? She couldn't wrap her mind around it. Goblets were now called cups, and were no longer a hallowed-out stone but a shiny, light material. The lights were bright, lit up with some magic other than fire, and the clothes here were so peculiar. The different shapes and sizes of patterns and colors made no sense. The food tasted terrible, and her growling stomach only heightened her hunger.

Marian, feeling as if she was about to cry, stood up and started pacing their location. Frustrated, she went to a tree and kicked it with all her might. Her food throbbed, but she didn't care. She found a rock on the ground and threw it as far as she could, seeing birds fly up from where it landed. She did this four more times before dropping onto the forest ground, putting her hands into her face, and sobbing.

Never had she wished the Evil Queen had gone through with her execution. She wanted to find her husband and son, reunite with her family, hopping place-to-place, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. But now? It made her sick to even think about being around Robin and Roland.

If everything had gone as planned, she would be chained to a tree and fire would be thrown at her right now. It saddened her to think that she wanted nothing more than that, to be released from this new life she has found herself in.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin woke from his morning nap, the first thought drifting into his head was Milah. He nearly hit his head, frustrated that he was not currently thinking of Belle.

He loved Belle with all of his heart, and he doesn't remember a happier time than with her. He knows he makes her a better person.

_But does she?_ He thought. He had lied to her about the dagger, lied to her about Zelena, and has lied to her more times than he could count. David said a long time ago that the reason his and Mary Margaret's relationship worked so well was because they were honest with each other. He screws up his face when he admitted to himself that he has never been totally honest with Belle, he always left some fact out.

He had been honest with Milah, though, and that scared him. Why did a women he didn't even love anymore deserve more of him than Belle did? He tried to claim that it was because he didn't have 300 years of terrible acts to hide, but he knew he was lying to himself if he said that. He really didn't know why Milah had such a spell over him.

Gold had promised Belle that he would find her as soon as he woke up, but he wanted nothing to do with her right now. He didn't want to see her, resenting the guilt that was drawing in his chest.

He walked downstairs to see Belle sitting at the table, eating a morning snack. "I need to go to the shop, love." He said as he flew to the door.

"I'll come with you, Rumple." Belle stood up, brushing her hands off and bringing the plate to the sink.

"No, no. Why don't you go find Ruby? She is going to be dying to hear about the wedding last night." Belle's face dropped a bit, but nodded in agreement. "I'll see you soon."

Gold got in his car and drove quickly to his pawnshop, using magic to change all the traffic lights to work in his favor. Once up parked behind the shop, he snuck in through the back door, keeping the lights off so no one would see him. He found his way to the safe and easily clicked through the numbers to open it. He pulled out item after item until he finally reached the paper he was looking for: a sketch of Milah.

He hadn't thought about the picture in a very long time – frankly, he even forgot it was there. But, as he was staring at it, he rubbed his thumb over her curly brown hair, remembering how it felt when he ran his hand through it in their cottage. His eyes found hers, remembering the green that shown back when they talked about their future together. His eyes scanned down to her lips, trying to remember their last kiss.

He carefully placed the picture back in the safe, covering it with other artifacts to hide it from others, and closed the door, giving it a tug to make sure it was locked. He wobbled into his office and sat down on the desk chair.

His heart gave a final rip as he remembered the last time he saw Milah smile.

* * *

David and Mary Margaret met on the patio of Granny's after their morning adventures. "What happened with Regina?" David asked her.

Mary Margaret took Neal out of the sling and placed him into the car seat David brought with to the restaurant, hoping he would stay asleep. "Regina has clearly been effected by Robin and Marian," she started. "She refused to talk about it with me. I'm really worried about her." She sat back in the chair to look at David. "She also seemed very… shady. Does that make sense?"

"Yes."

"I think she may be up to something, but it could just be that she's hurting. Her heart is so big that she feels things more than a normal person, David, even more than you and me. I'm very concerned that she is going to do something she regrets."

"I'm concerned about Emma!" David replied. "Did you know she got drunk off her ass last night?" Mary Margaret slapped him and David smiled. "She did! The whole room smelled like alcohol, and she was clearly hungover."

"That doesn't sound like Emma…" Mary Margaret replied.

"Want to know the weirdest thing?" his wife shook his head. "Apparently, she drank RUM. Do you know how many times Killian has offered that to her and she either refused or took a very small sip?"

"I agree, that's odd… Rum has never been her drink of choice. Although, it doesn't really surprise me." Mary Margaret shook her head. "I can't believe our daughter has fallen for a pirate."

"Killian has become a good person, Mary Margaret. He isn't the same man you met back in the Enchanted Forest two years ago. And, Emma trusts him, and she doesn't give her trust out to just anybody." David tapped his chin. "I wish she would just figure out her feelings so she can finally be happy. She's so miserable trying to decide what she wants from her relationship with Killian."

"It takes time with her. She has never been one to make a rash decision, and something as big as getting in a relationship with Killian is something that she needs to think about." Mary Margaret looked down at her baby, smiling. "I wish we had gotten a chance to help her through things like this when she was younger."

"You might still be able to. I'm positive she'd want to talk to you about this stuff," David encouraged his wife.

"You don't understand, David. Our relationship has changed. Three years ago, when I was… dating… you, and she was interested in Graham, we would spend hours up at night, sharing stories about our love life." David gave her a weird look. "That's what girlfriends do, David. We gossip about the men we sleep with." David's eyes grew, and Mary Margaret continued on, ignoring his reaction. "Since she found out I'm her mother, she doesn't open up to me anymore, at least not in the same way." Mary Margaret started to frown. "I mean, I guess most mothers and daughters wouldn't talk about intimate details of their relationships, but it still hurts that she doesn't come to me anymore."

David reached his hand over to touch her's. "Honestly, she's just unsure how to talk to you about this kind of stuff. Think about everything you've heard – teenage girls do not open up to their mothers. She missed those years and is making up for it right now. She wouldn't want to talk to her mom about… who she's with. She looks to her mom for other things." David smiled. "Plus, I think you may be surprised how much she would be willing to open up for you if you just ask."

"You think so?" she asked, raising her eyes to meet his.

David leaned over the table to give his wife a kiss. "I know so."

* * *

Killian stormed into Granny's diner and was happy to find that the only other person there was Ruby. He marched right up to the counter and sat on a stool until she came over to him. "What would you like to eat, Captain."

"Why would you give Emma that huge bottle of rum last night?" he asked.

"So she did come and find you! I'm so happy!" but after taking a little whiff of the pirate, she crinkled her nose. "Apparently nothing happened, though. What a shame." She smiled and brought the notepad up again. "Our specialty today is a turkey sandwich on rye brea…"

"She nearly blacked out, Ruby! Why would you give her all that rum?" Killian nearly yelled. "You knew she was emotional from Regina and exhausted from our trip."

Ruby raised her arms in defense. "Hey, Captain. I was doing it for you." She leaned in a little closer and whispered, "I saw you two last night, on the patio." Standing back up, she smiled. "I was hoping to just move things along for the two of you."

"It isn't your concern, Ruby." Killian said. "And how did you know she would find ME after getting drunk?"

"Who else would she try to sleep with?" Ruby chuckled. "To be honest, I thought she might go straight to your room and you'd get drunk together. I thought you would both loosen up a bit, the sexual tension between you two is unbearable to standby and watch. I guess I may have misjudged that a bit. I will say, though, people are often most honest when they have a bit of alcohol in them, so I hope she at least admitted something to you." Ruby turned towards the cash register. "If you aren't going to buy anything, I suggest you let me get back to the other customers."

Killian looked around. "What other customers?" Ruby shot him an evil glare. Killian stood up and walked over to the stool directly in front of her and sat down. "You… you saw what happened last night?" Killian asked, timidly.

Ruby smiled. "Yes, and you sure seemed excited out there. I'm surprised you both didn't just leave the party right then and there and found your way to the first empty room you saw."

Killian scuffed at the comment. "And what about her? Did she seem… pleased?"

Ruby leaned in to him again. "I'll tell you one thing – I remember her when she was around Graham, and you've definitely won."

Killian made a mental note to ask Emma about this Graham person. "Do you know if anyone else saw?"

"I don't think so. I think everyone was too busy with baby Neal to notice." Ruby pointed to herself. "Wolf genes, remember? I can sense everything."

"Aye, and you're quite blunt about it, too." Killian looked distracted by what Ruby had just told him. "I'll take one of those specialty sandwiches, if the offer still stands."

"One turkey sandwich coming up, Captain."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Chapter 5 is up, and the segments are, for the most part, a little longer than usual. You start to really meet Milah and sassy Regina is back as ever! WARNING: This chapter has _implied_ sexual activities, but nothing explicit that would cause the rating to go up. More A/N at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Not knowing how else to stay quiet, Milah just lied on the bed, twirling her fingers, and staring at the ceiling. _I'm a pirate. Why am I lying on this bed instead of figuring out a way to get as far away from this house as possible? _She thought to herself, but instead of getting up and trying to find an escape path, Milah took a large breath, making another full circle with her thumbs.

The bed was much more comfortable than the captain's quarters on the Jolly Roger. This bedroom was very clean, _too_ clean, and how perfectly designed it was would have made her uncomfortable in any other situation. It had an off-white blanket and six pillows; one set each of different patterns. There were dark wood shelves lined with random but matching artwork, various knick-knacks, and nonsense books. There were two nightstands with lights and matching vases that held pansies on either side of the bed, and an eight-door dresser was facing her. There was a peculiar flat box hanging on the wall above it, and a long, black stick sitting, pointed at it. On the wall to the left of her was a shiny rectangle, reflecting back her face when she looked in it.

Regina, whoever the lady was, had pushed up the button on the wall, creating light last night before going to bed. After Regina left, Milah had gotten the courage to seek out the little rectangle on the wall and brought the button up and down. Milah was in awe of the magic she had created when the lights flashed with each change, and she could tell it was very late before she finally turned it off and lied on the bed, surprised at how easily she falling asleep, based on her current predicament.

Milah closed her eyes, trying to decide what to do. She figured she had three options. She could either go along with whatever Regina was concocting, she could try to sneak out of the room and leave on her own, or she could wait for Regina and just refuse anything she asked her to do upon leaving the room. None of the options sounded pleasant.

Although the window shades had been magically sealed shut by Regina, she could tell it was almost midday after her stomach started to growl. She frowned as she looked at it, mentally willing it to be quiet so Killian didn't die. It didn't do much good, though, as the rumbles seemed to keep getting louder.

She heard footsteps going back and forth above her in addition to two voices, a boy's and Regina's, talking to each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the tones between them sounded pleasant. It made her miss her own son, Baelfire. She hated thinking of her son, reminding herself of the kind of mother she had been. She quickly pushed the memory of him out of her mind, like she had every time he crept into her head on the Jolly Roger.

When Milah heard someone grabbing the handle of the door, she stopped breathing. The door creaked as Regina slid in, quietly shutting the door behind her. "I'm bringing my son to his grandparents house. I will be back in twenty minutes." Taking three steps towards her, Regina's face was nearly touching Milah's. "I expect you in the exact same position you are in right now the next time I enter this room."

Milah shifted back a little, trying to create space in between her and the Queen. This only made Regina bring her face in closer. "If I come back and I do not see you right here, you will regret it." Milah nodded to show she understood.

Regina walked back towards the door and turned around. "You know, for safe measure…" Regina waved her hand and the flowers shot up out of their vases, the beautiful pansies with sleek cut stems growing into a long vine with black thorns, crawling it's way up around Milah, strapping her to the bed.

Milah tried lifting her right shoulder, attempted to kick her left food, but she wasn't able to move a muscle. She slid her head to face Regina. "I wouldn't have even known where to go," she whispered.

Regina shrugged and walked out the door, closing it. Milah saw a purple haze cover the handle followed by Regina's voice call out, "Come on, Henry! Let's go to Mary Margaret and David's!" Milah heard the boy's feet skittering across the floor, excitedly yelling something to her as he jumped down the stairs.

Milah turned her head back to the ceiling, unable to do anything other than wait for her captor to release her.

_When did I start giving up so easily?_

* * *

Belle knocked on Rumpelstiltskin's office door and walked in without waiting for him to acknowledge him. "I thought I told you to find Ruby." Rumpelstiltskin growled, shuffling in his seat to face her.

Belle crossed the room and sat on his lap. "We got married last night, Rumple, and I wanted to see my husband." She leaned forward and gave him a long kiss, to which he responded quite eagerly. "And, I wanted to do that." Rumpelstiltskin smiled at her, but his face dropped almost immediately. Belle could see his mind was elsewhere, and it saddened her that he wouldn't tell her what was wrong.

Belle's insecurities began to grow. She has always been a courageous woman, but she couldn't help but feel self-doubt when she was looking at him today. Despite all the books she's been reading to keep herself occupied, she continued to think of his first wife and how he refused to talk about her.

She brought her hand up to his face, cupping his cheek. "What's wrong, Rumple. Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Belle looked deep into his eyes, seeing despair and anguish looking back at her. Her heart melted thinking of how miserable he was, and she couldn't help but think she brought it upon him. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked, nervous for whatever response he would give.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes shut slowly, reopening and looking at her. "Of course not, love."

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing. Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Rumple, I can tell when something is on your mind," Belle pressed on.

Gold responded by standing up and holding his arm out to her. "I would really like to go for a walk," he repeated.

Belle grabbed his outstretched hand and gave a quick smile. "I would, too."

* * *

Robin made his way back to the campsite. When he saw Marian by herself in the clearing, he ducked down to watch what she was doing. His face drooped as he saw her kick a tree, throw rocks, and completely break down in the middle of the forest. Building up courage, he walked out and reached Marian, bending his legs so he would be at eye level.

He took his first finger and placed it under her chin, raising her face to look at him. He didn't say anything as he took his thumb and brushed away the tears that were streaming down her face.

"I think we need to talk." He said in as gentle of a tone as he could muster. Marian's silent tears kept dripping down her face as she nodded. "Alone. Is Roland still in the tent?"

She nodded again. "He's playing with his mini archery set."

Robin smiled. "I'll get Little John and the Merry Men to watch him for a little bit, and we can go find somewhere private to talk." Marian attempted to smile, but her cheeks just trembled instead. "Stay here, I'll be back in five minutes." He led her over to a log, kissed her on her hair, and walked into the tent.

Marian couldn't hear the conversation, but when Roland laughed at whatever her husband had just said, she took a deep breath. When they emerged Robin was wearing a fake smile, tickling Roland as he carried him out and walked through the forest, eventually disappearing from Marian's sight.

When Robin caught up with his Merry Men, he called them over. "As you know, Marian has come back. We need some alone time…" one of the men whistled, and Robin gave him an angry glare, but continued, "So will you all watch Roland?"

Little John smiled and kneeled to look at Roland. "We'd be honored to have Roland lead us this afternoon. Where to?"

"That way!" Roland shouted while he pointed in some nonsense direction.

"You heard the boy!" Little John gave a hearty bear laugh and a little nudge. "Let's go!" Roland led the way as his men followed, leaving one man behind.

Will Scarlet walked over to Robin as they watched the pack follow Roland, patting his back. "How is it to have her back?" he asked.

Robin shook his head. "She doesn't want to be here. I think she regrets coming here."

"Bloody hell, mate! That isn't what I asked." Will frowned.

Robin took in a deep breath and decided to answer honestly. "You know that I really did miss her…" He looked at the men walking farther and farther away from them. "Don't tell them," he said, nodding towards the group and turning to face Will again, "but I don't think I missed her as much as I thought I did. Does that even make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense," Leaning his back against a tree, he stared into Robin's eyes and said, without hesitation, "I wish you luck with whatever you're about to do, Robin."

Robin bobbed his head, pain behind his eyes, and waved as he turned away. "Watch my boy, Will. They can be a bit immature, sometimes."

Robin made the short trek back to Marian and offered his hand to help her stand up. "Let's go to Granny's. We can rent a room there and have no one disturb us."

"Do I have to eat the food there?"

Robin shook his head. "No, Marian. We'll stop somewhere on the way there and pick something up for us to eat."

"Thank you."

They were silent as the exited the woods and found their way to Main Street. There was an uncomfortable distance and silence between them as they walked to Granny's Bed and Breakfast, stopping to pick up some fruits for Marian at "Agrabah's Market" halfway there. When the bell rung to signify someone walked in, Granny turned around to see the two standing there. "Can we rent a room?"

Granny stared between Robin and Marian before finding the key to one of the rooms. "Up three flights of stairs and to the left."

Robin reached out to grab Marian's hand, but when she didn't return the gesture, they walked through the motel until they found their way to the third floor. They were walking at a fast pace, anxious to talk and get there without anyone seeing them.

They were almost successful until they saw Emma closing the door behind her and start to cross the hallway to the room on the other side. Robin stopped in his tracks, hoping she wouldn't see him, since she seemed determined to get to the other room. Marian was shocked at Robin's sudden stop and tripped over her feet, yelling as she grabbed the wall to stop herself from falling.

Emma immediately turned to face them, eyes widening. "Robin! Marian!" She yelled, running over. "Marian, are you okay?"

Marian straightened up, lifting her head up and brushing her dress down. "I'm fine, Emma." Without another word, she strode passed her, not even acknowledging her. Emma's face fell, hurt by how cold she was.

"She's having a hard time, Emma, that's all." Robin explained as he and Emma followed. "We've rented a room to have a private place to talk without anyone else hearing us. As secluded as the forest is, you never know who's lurking behind a bush."

Emma tugged her left cheek to bring her face into a half smile. "To be honest with you, Robin, I drank half a bottle of rum last night by myself, and my head is still hurting, the lights are too bright, and Kill… someone wants to talk to me. Whatever you and Marian choose to do is your business." She put an her hand on Robin's shoulder. "Not mine."

Robin chuckled. "In that case, I'll let you finish sneaking into the pirate's bedroom." He strode past her as Emma's jaw nearly dropped, but knocked on the door and went in the room as soon as he passed.

The next room over was the one given to Robin and Marian. Marian was already sitting in the padded chair when Robin walked in. He closed the door and locked it, grabbed a chair from the table set, and brought it in front of Marian. Sitting down, he crossed his right leg over his left, and stared at her.

Marian, who had been snacking on an apple since the market, threw it into the tiny waste bin, after questioning where to put it. "Marian, I…"

"Let me start, please." Marian started. "I need you to listen to me, okay?"

"You have my full attention, Marian." He set his foot down, put both of his arms on each of his legs, and leaned in. His stare proving to Marian that he was indeed ready to hear whatever he was going to say.

"I'm having such a hard time dealing with the fact that you have let the Evil Queen into your life, and Roland's, as well."

"But she's –"

Marian put one finger over his mouth. "Please let me finish, Robin." When he agreed, she took her hand down. "I think about everything she did to me, starved me, carried me around like I was some sort of political demonstration," she shook her head. "It makes me ill thinking about her. Now, everyone has been claiming that she is a changed woman, and maybe she is, but that doesn't change the fact that just yesterday, I was about to be executed by her." She dipped her head towards her husband, as if silently telling Robin he could begin.

"Regina is a wonderful, kind person. I really don't know what else to say, Marian."

She nodded, ready to continue. "Robin, you've hurt me. My heart has torn to pieces that I don't know how to fix. When I think of you two, I feel betrayed, like you've been unfaithful to my life and the memory of me."

"I'm apologize, Marian, but I had to go on. You were dead, and people don't come back from the dead. I wanted to start my life again."

"And I wanted you to move on, too. But seeing you now? Looking and thinking about you with another woman makes me want to gorge my eyes out or throw a vase. And, not only that, but the knife I feel in my back from you has been driven even deeper because you had chosen to move on with the Evil Queen."

"That's really unfair." Robin went to kneel in front of Marian, grabbing her hand and kissing each knuckle before looking back up at her. "If I had known you were still alive, Marian, none of this would have happened. But you were taken away from me; I never thought I'd see you again. I wanted to feel loved again, for Roland to have a mother again."

Marian took his hands in both of hers. "Roland has a mother: me." She dragged her hands up his arms and cupped each cheek. She pulled him in for a kiss, to Robin's surprise. "You are loved: by me." Marian grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him in for another, longer kiss. Robin's surprise left as the light, awkward first kiss drifted into a passionate one similar to what they used to have.

Marian stood up, keeping Robin's lips locked on hers, forcing him to stand, as well. Her arms fell to the collar of his flannel shirt and started unbuttoning the top one. Robin opened his eyes and pulled back, examining Marian's face. She dropped her hands, but only briefly as she reached and untied her cape, throwing it onto the chair behind her and diving back at Robin's lips.

She brought him over to the bed, lying down and pulling him on top of her. Marian drew her hands up to his shirt again and unbuttoned it, one by one, ripping his shirt open and throwing it to the ground. He pushed the strap off one of her shoulders and started kissing the bare skin suddenly visible to him. Marian raised her head to allow Robin more access to her neck. Piece by piece, a pile of clothes formed above Robin's shirt next to the bed. The motions between them were natural and familiar, easy for both of them to remember from before.

* * *

Emma walked into Killian's room without even waiting for his answer, wanting to get out of the hallway as quickly as possible. Marian was obviously mad at her and she was going crazy with guilt.

She looked around the room only to find Killian wasn't there. She even went over to the bathroom to see if he was showering or putting on his eyeliner, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed and plopped down on the bed, frustrated that she couldn't find him.

Keys jingled from the other side of the door, and Emma's eyes shot open, looking right and left and back at the door, realizing how this was going to look when Killian entered the room.

Killian swung the door open and raised one eyebrow. "This is not what I expected when I entered, but I can't say I don't enjoy it." He chuckled and walked forward, closing the door after him.

Emma stood up "Okay. We're done here." She marched towards he door right past him, about to leave when his hook caught the inside of her elbow, stopping her in her tracks.

"Love, please don't leave. I'm only kidding." She turned around to face him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thank you for taking care of me last night… I don't really remember much after getting the rum from Ruby."

Killian brought his head down and back up. "I will always take care of you, Swan. I'd do anything for you."

"Like trade your home for me?"

"I'd do it again, you know." Killian took two steps closer to Emma. She searched his face, looking for any signs of deceit, but didn't see any. "Are you ready to talk yet?"

"About what?" Emma kept staring at him.

"Anything. Regina, Marian, your magic… Us…" Killian tilted his head to see her reaction.

"Um… Well, I…" Emma's eyes darted around the room, as if to check for anybody watching. With only a small amount of hesitation, she raised up on her toes and pressed her lips into Killian's. She put one hand to his hair and the other to cup his cheek while he slid both his hand and hook over her back.

Emma eventually pulled back, a tiny smile escaping her lips as she and Killian pressed their foreheads together. Killian pecked her lips quickly before officially drawing back. "I don't know what to do..." She admitted.

"About what?" Killian questioned, copying her words from earlier.

"Everything, I guess." Emma looked down; seemingly embarrassed he was so aware of everything he wanted to talk about, and secretly wanting to just kiss him instead.

"I got the gist of that from last night." Killian smiled at the memory of drunken Emma. "You're a fun drunk, Emma, did you know that? You're…" He stopped. "What's that?" Killian asked.

"What's what?" Emma shot him a puzzled look.

Killian walked over to the wall that connected to the following room. He put his ear up to it. "Do you know who's in there?" He looked at Emma for an answer as he kept his ear in it's place against the wall.

"Robin and Marian. They said they wanted a place to talk without anyone listening." Emma shrugged.

Killian's eyes opened as far as they would go and a mischievous smile covered his face as he began to snicker. He quickly walked over to Emma and tugged at her arm. "Why don't we go have something to eat? I did not care for the sandwich the wolf girl gave me earlier and I'm still hungry. Plus, you need some food to soak up the last of that rum in you." Killian suggested, pulling her out of the room. Emma's face bore confusion at the sudden urgency to leave. "Believe me, Swan. We should leave right now. We need to give them some… Privacy."

"Privacy? They have the room to themselves!" Emma responded, stopping in her place.

"Aye, Swan. They _have the room to themselves_…" Killian's smile grew wider as he winked at her.

As if the gears suddenly clicked, Emma shouted, "Oh, god! Oh, god!" running towards the door.

"Yes, Swan. I have a feeling very soon we'll be hearing those words coming through the wall." Killian started to laugh.

Emma forcefully took his hook and dragged him out of the room, slamming the door behind them. "Oh, god! I don't care what we do, but we need to leave, now." She yelled as she yanked on his hook, pulling him while the two of them ran down the hall.

* * *

Marian and Robin were breathing heavily, cuddling next to each other, the blankets pulled above their chests to cover them. Robin was rubbing Marian's hair while her finger was following the dips and curves of his chest.

"I don't want you seeing her again." Marian let out, and Robin just blinked. "I am your _wife_, Robin, and you are my _husband_. I will not be sharing you with someone else…"

"Marian…"

"Especially not with the Evil Queen. Do you hear me?" Robin didn't respond. Marian turned to face him, "You can't ever see her again. Promise me."

Robin looked at his wife's face before slowly bringing his head up and down.

Marian leaned her head back down onto his bare chest, circling Robin's abs with one finger. "Okay." She mumbled.

They stayed that way for a while, without talking. Because of her lack of sleep for the past few years, Marian's finger slowed down until it stopped. She had drifted off to sleep to Robin's soft and lazy touch on her back.

Robin was staring out the half-open window to his right, unable to even look at Marian. As he was lying next to his wife, who he had only dreamed about having moments like this again for years, all he could think of was Regina.

_What did I just do? How could I cheat on Regina like that? _Robin thought to himself.

His chest tightened as regret flowed throughout his whole body.

_And why would I agree to never see Regina again?_

* * *

"Goodbye, Henry." Regina kissed her son's head, "Come visit tomorrow, and then I promise we can spend the weekend together. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." Henry responded, giving her a hug around her waist. He turned to David. "Can we sword fight again, Grandpa?"

"AGAIN?" Regina nearly screamed.

David turned to Henry. "What happened to it being our little secret?" Looking back at Regina, he continued, "They were wooden practice swords, and faces and heads were off limits. No one got a bruise or even a splinter."

"Please, please? Mom, I promise we'll be safe!" Henry pleaded.

Regina drew in a quick breath, disapproving of the lessons. "Mary Margaret," she called to the woman sitting in a rocking chair, feeding Neal.

Mary Margaret looked up at her stepmother, surprised at the confrontation after their meeting this morning. "Yes, Regina?"

"Make sure they are safe, because clearly they will be sword fighting, despite anything I say." Mary Margaret only smiled and nodded her head, which was barely enough for Regina. With one last kiss on Henry's hair, she turned and left the apartment, sliding into her car and starting the ignition.

She drove back to the mansion, ignoring the speed limit to get back home as quickly as possible. As she was driving down Main Street, she saw Belle and Rumpelstiltskin locking Gold's pawnshop and walking hand in hand the opposite direction. Seeing them only made her drive home even faster.

With the car barely turned off, Regina hopped out and ran through the house until she came to the room Milah was in. She closed her eyes while placing her hand over the handle, removing the magical lock she had created. Pushing the door open, Regina stepped in, waving her hands while the vines faded back into flowers, neatly going back into their vases on either side of the bed.

"Get up." Regina ordered as Milah rubbed her wrists, slowly bending at the waist to sit on the bed. "Are you hungry?" Regina asked. Milah slowly nodded. Regina swirled her arm around and an apple and loaf of bread fell onto a plate, just out of Milah's reach. Hesitantly, Milah moved forward to grab the food, but it was suddenly lifted into the air. "You are going to do something for me first. Then you can eat."

Milah's eyes followed the food, undeniably hungry. Once she settled back on Regina, she asked, "What is it?"

Regina twirled her hand one more time, putting Milah in a blue dress with puffy white sleeves and brown boots. Milah looked at herself, confused. Regina cocked her head, analyzing her work. "It looks better on her, but it'll have to do."

"Who?" Milah asked, suddenly self conscious in the new dress she was wearing.

"Come with me." Regina said, leaving the room and going to the front door. Milah obeyed, following her at a safe distance.

When they got outside, Milah covered her eyes. She had been in almost complete darkness since the previous night, and didn't remember anything before that, so the sun shocked her. Her skin burned from the heat, and her mouth began to water. Regina rolled her eyes, a water bottle appearing in her hand. She unscrewed the cap and passed it to Milah. "Drink this."

Milah took the bottle suspiciously. "What is this?"

"Water."

"Why is it in this clear container?"

"Do you want it or not?" Regina was quickly getting irritated with how hesitant she was about every single thing. Milah lifted it to her mouth, taking a small sip. After tasting it, she couldn't stop herself from drinking half the bottle in only a few swallows. Regina rolled her eyes as she continued to lead Milah through the garden.

Once they got on the road that led to town, Regina started to talk. "Now, your task is very simple." She looked over at the woman still drinking the bottle. "Would you put that down?" Milah jerked the water bottle from her mouth and stared at Regina, giving her a run for her money with the evil glare. "As I was saying, this is very simple. All I want you to do is cross the street when I tell you to."

Milah raised her eyebrows, surprised with the request. "Just cross the street? And then you'll let me go?"

"Oh, heaven's no. No, Milah, you won't be leaving my sight for a while. This is merely a test."

"To see if I'll listen?"

Regina laughed sarcastically. "No, not a test for you." She grabbed Milah's arm and pulled her behind the building that read, "Hatter's and Co." leaning out to look at the nearly empty street. "It's a test for him."

Milah peeked her head out and her eyes widened at a man and woman walking together on the other side of the street. "Is that…?"

Regina just grinned. "When I say go, walk from where you are right now to behind that flower shop across the street. Do you understand me?"

Milah, still bug-eyed and looking at the pedestrians, replied, "Yes."

"You will not run over to them or anyone else out there."

Milah shook her head. "No."

"And you will walk at a slow pace."

"Okay."

"I will be waiting across the street for you. In three, two, one, GO!" Regina nearly pushed Milah from behind the building out into the street, a purple haze sweeping her up and placing her next to Maurice's flower store. Regina squatted and watched as Milah crossed the street, originally at a fast pace but slowing down as she made her way across, remembering what Regina said.

Regina looked at the couple, deep in conversation. This wasn't going to work if he didn't just look up. Milah was almost halfway across the street, so Regina had to think fast. With a tiny flip of her hand, a dog appeared in the street, barking.

The woman pointed at the dog, smiling at it and saying something to her walking partner. The man looked at it, nodding and laughing at whatever she just said when he noticed the woman crossing the street. His face fell, and he stopped in his tracks, pulling the woman with him. Regina couldn't make out their conversation, but saw the man stare at Milah, look back at the woman next to him, and turn back to Milah. He reached out to his partner to make sure she was indeed real before looking at Milah again.

Milah was almost to Regina when the man started to walk faster, blinking and rubbing his eyes and letting go of the woman's hand. When Milah finally reached Regina, she lunged for her, pulling her towards her, and with another purple smoky cloud, they were back in the guest room at Regina's mansion.

"Was that…?"

"Yes. It was."

"I can't believe it was him." Milah shook her head. "I never thought I'd see him again."

Regina's face turned into an evil grin, "Oh, you will be seeing a lot more of Rumpelstiltskin in the next few days, Milah." Just as she promised, Regina snapped her fingers and Milah's lunch appeared on the bed. "Eat up. We have a lot to do."

* * *

**A/N:** Outlaw Queen fans, I apologize for this chapter. Please just believe in me, okay?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is a longer chapter, but I just didn't want to leave anything out! Again, minor sexual suggestions, but nothing explicit. Rumbelle fans, please don't hate me just yet, and OQ fans, I hope this starts to mend your wounds.

* * *

Robin had put his clothes back on almost instantly and was now sitting in the chair by the window, looking at the mayor's mansion in the far distant. He thought about the previous day when he was sitting on the floor, drinking wine with Regina. A lump came to his throat as he thought of her, rubbing his eyes to stop the water that had starting to pool.

Marian was still sleeping in the bed, and he couldn't bring himself to look at her. He felt dirty – dirtier than if he spent days in the woods with no place to take a bath. In this moment, he hated himself, loathed what he had just done with Marian. Robin blinked his eyes, unable to hold back the single tear that was sliding down his left cheek. His nose was runny, and he did everything in his power to stay silent so he wouldn't have to talk with Marian if she woke up.

He stayed looking out the window for hours, silently crying, until it was nearly dinnertime. Marian finally opened her eyes and found her husband no longer next to her. She sat up, placing her back at the headboard, disappointed he wasn't lying next to her. "Come back to bed, Robin." She requested.

Robin shook his head, not trusting his voice at the moment. Marian got out of bed, not even acknowledging her own nakedness while he was fully dressed, and knelt in front of Robin. He continued to stare out the window, and Marian followed his gaze to see what he was looking at, but saw nothing other than the shops around town and a large white house in the far back. Turning back to him, she said, "What's wrong?"

Robin closed his eyes, as if he was in pain from being shot by an arrow, and said, "I need to see Regina." His voice was cold, nearly sending shivers down Marian's back.

"Robin, we talked about this. I don't want you going near her anymore."

"I just have to tell her to find someone else. I have to tell her I'm no longer going to be there for her." Robin opened up his eyes and continued to look anywhere other than his wife. "Then I will leave and never say a word to her again."

Marian left out a frustrated sigh, but agreed. "Fine. Let's go tell her right now."

She started to stand up to grab her clothes when Robin's arm shot out at her, grabbing her wrist. Finally willing himself to look with her and speaking in the same stone-cold tone, he said, "I need to go alone. You don't know her like I do."

"No, Robin. _You_ don't know her like _I_ do. I don't want you hurt."

Robin stood up and walked towards the door. "She won't hurt me. I'll be back when I'm done speaking with her." With that, he closed the door, without even saying goodbye.

Marian stood in the middle of the room, half dressed, with her bottom lip trembling. She found her way over to the window and watched her husband leave the building, walking in the other direction from her, ignoring eye contact with everyone walking by him.

* * *

Gold, without any explanation to Belle, walked to check the alley behind the his father-in-law's building. "Why don't you go in and talk your father?" He pecked her cheek as she walked into her father's shop, confused by his sudden fascination with the alley.

He rounded the corner, only to find that it had no one in it. There was a big dumpster located on the right, but other than that, the space was clear. _It must have just been an illusion._ Rumpelstiltskin thought to himself. _She's dead. I killed her; I know she's dead._

But he could not shake the thought that he had just seen his first wife walk across the street.

After triple checking to see no one was in there, he followed Belle into the shop, who was currently hugging her father. Maurice smiled at his daughter, and they were talking about something he couldn't hear. After shaking his head, Rumpelstiltskin walked up to them and grinned.

"Bye, daddy." Belle said as she grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's hand to leave. Once outside the door, she turned towards her husband. "Are you going to tell me what that was just about?" she asked, waving her hand at the alleyway.

"It's nothing of your concern, Belle." He replied.

"Nothing is ever 'of my concern', Rumple. Why won't you just let me in?" She asked as they started walking in the opposite direction, back to his shop.

"You know more about me than anyone else. If I keep anything from you, it's just to protect you."

Belle stopped in her place, pulling her hand out of his and crossing her arms. "Are you really not going to tell me?" Gold shook his head no. "I'm going to out for the night, without you."

With that, she stormed off towards Granny's Diner where she knew Ruby was almost off of shift. Rumpelstiltskin didn't know if he should follow her, but decided to turn around and go back to his shop, hoping he could clear his mind of anything related to Milah.

* * *

Regina had decided to let Milah out of the bedroom and into the kitchen to eat her deserved meal. "So, are you going to tell me why I had to cross the street in front of Rumpelstiltskin?" Milah asked Regina while stuffing another bite of bread into her mouth.

"I just needed to see his reaction." Regina said matter of factly.

"But _why_?"

"How am I going to dangle you in front of a pirate if I don't know how an ex-lovers is going to react around you?" She asked, stirring sugar into the tea she made herself. "I can't shove you in Hook's face without knowing how he'll react." Milah looked at Regina confused. She leaned in, "Killian."

Milah shivered. "Where is he? When can I talk to him?"

"Soon enough, dear," Regina slowly moved back to a sitting position. "I just need to have you interact with Rumpelstiltskin a few more times, then you can see your precious Hook."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" she asked Regina.

Regina gave a howl. "Wow. Being dead for 300 years has really taken a toll on you, hasn't it?"

Milah opened her mouth in shock. "300 years? Dead?"

"More or less." Regina took a sip of tea. "His hand got cut off, and he's used a hook in it's place ever since."

"If it's been 300 years, how is he still alive? Did he die, too? And what about Rumpel…"

Regina held her hand up to signify the conversation was over. "Before I tell you anything else, we're going to assess Rumpelstiltskin's reaction." Regina knew that by telling her that Gold killed her and cut off her lover's hand, she would never go along with the plan. "A little while longer. And, if you obey, I might even let you free when we're completely done."

The mansion's doorbell rang as a knock came from the front door. She had not been expecting any guests, and became curious at who could be stopping by at this hour. "When you are back in your room, you will not make any sounds. Understood?" But, before she got a response from Milah, she swiped her hand, making Milah and her food disappear from the kitchen.

Regina walked to the front door, unsure who would be looking back at her when she opened it. Turning the lock and pulling the handle, she opened the door to see Robin standing alone on the porch. Without a second thought, Regina started to slam the door shut, but Robin blocked it with his hand before it could click.

"I need to talk to you," Robin pleaded.

"I have nothing to say to you. Please leave." Regina's eyes had fire shining behind them. "You know I have magic and am not afraid to use it, Mr. Locksley."

He flinched at the name, sadness covering his face with the thought of her so hurt she wouldn't even address him as Robin. "Please, Regina."

Regina stared into his eyes, her face softening while she slid the door open. Robin had some hold over her that she couldn't explain. "Fine." She barely whispered, allowing Robin to enter the house.

He followed the familiar path to the living room and sat on the coach. Regina, instead of sitting next to him across from the fire like they had so many times, just stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and staring at him. "Well?" She asked.

"How are you doing, Regina." When she didn't respond, he continued on. "I know I'm still shocked at –"

"Why are you here, Mr. Locksley? I have things I have to do." Regina cut him off.

Gaining all the courage he had, Robin took a deep breath and began to talk. "Marian never wants me to see you again."

Regina gave a sarcastic look and nodded. "Is that all you came here to say?"

"Yes, well, no… I mean…" Robin stood up and made his way over to Regina, finding her hands and holding them in his own. "I was so happy that Marian was home last night that I didn't get a chance to say anything to you. You were running away before I even got to think. Then, after spending the day with Marian, I realized I don't love her anymore."

"And what led you to that realization?"

Robin, wanting to give Regina the same amount of honesty as he did Marian, replied, "I talked to Eric, and Will, and then… Oh, Regina! I'm so sorry."

"Then what?" When he didn't respond, she repeated, "Then what, Robin?"

Robin, looking down at his hands holding Regina's, mumbled, "I slept with her."

Regina jerked her hands out of his grasp, backing up from him. "Does _she_ even know you're here?"

"Yes, but… Regina, you don't understand. I love YOU, you're my true love!" Robin grabbed Regina and threw his lips on hers. Regina, not giving the kiss even a second, shot her arms out, and suddenly Robin was pulled into the air and shot at the wall. Wood from all the furniture came at him until he was trapped at her eye level. It was the first _real_ time she had ever used magic against him.

Regina stormed up to the struggling Robin. "Do not kiss me, EVER again." She slapped him across the face, and he stilled. Her face furious, she slapped him again, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

"Regina…"

"What did you think I was going to do?" She started pacing in front of him. "First, you tell me you're never going to see me again. Then, you say that you talked to two people about it, one of whom I don't think you've ever spoken to in your life before. Then, you tell me you _SLEPT WITH HER_?" Regina spun around, putting her arms on her head to show her frustration. "And you end by saying I'm your true love. How does any of that make sense, Robin?"

"Regina, I…"

"On top of it all, Robin, I'm the LAST one you came to visit!" Regina slapped him for a third time. "How do you think that makes me feel? You come to this big epiphany that you love me, but never thought to come talk to me about this whole situation!"

"I wanted to come sooner but…"

"Stop. You listen to me, Robin Hood." She came up close to the now-still body. "I never want to see you again. I don't want you coming to my house. I don't want you waving at me around town. I don't want you asking someone else to give me messages from you. I am done with you." With a wave of her hand, all the furniture found it's way back to it's place, neatly put together as if no one had sat in it for days. She then swiped her hand to the right, and Robin was pulled to the front door. It opened and threw him out without Regina even touching him. "You are nothing to me."

Robin turned around and tried to re-enter, but Regina had put up an invisible shield on the door, preventing him from coming in. "Regina, please!" He yelled, not moving from his spot at the edge of the door.

Regina made her way to the kitchen and came back with a stuffed monkey. She was gripping it a little too tightly. She threw it out the window, past Robin, into the garden. "Henry found this in his room. I'm only giving it back because I promised him that I would, and I know it takes the boy a much longer time to fall asleep without it." She walked over to the door and slammed it harder than she had ever slammed a door before.

Robin stood on the porch, staring at the door, rubbing his cheek from the sting of her slaps. Slowly, he turned around and walked down the few steps and picked up the stuffed animal Regina had just thrown out the door. Tears began to gather in his eyes as he stared at the monkey that Roland loved so much, realizing the reason he wasn't able to fall asleep the night before because Regina wasn't there to help.

His heart burned when he realized it was Regina who had figured out why Roland hadn't slept, and she wasn't even there to help put him to sleep.

He started to walk away from the mansion, slowly, and found his way to the main road back to town.

* * *

Emma and Killian had found their way to The Rabbit Hole, not interested in running into any of Emma's family members while trying to be alone. "Rum for me!" Killian told the waitress.

"Same." Emma said. When the waitress left and Killian cocked an eyebrow, she shrugged. "Best medicine for a hangover is more alcohol."

Killian smiled at the woman sitting across from her. "Aye, it is." The waitress came back with two shot glasses filled to the top with liquid. "Thank you." He said as he took a swig of his drink. Emma took a tiny sip of her's. "Bloody hell, Emma. I saw you chug rum last night! What was that?"

Emma gave Killian a naughty smile and brought the cup up in to a toast, then threw back her head and downed the whole cup. She licked the excess rum left around her lips. "Better?" she asked.

Killian followed her suit, drinking his whole cup in only a few swallows. He snapped his fingers at the waitress, motioning for another round. When she brought it out, they clinked their glasses together, and, once again, drank the whole thing.

Killian chuckled when Emma raised her hand for a third glass. "I think you need to cool it, Emma. Otherwise, we won't be able to talk."

"That's the point, Captain." Emma swallowed the third glass, Killian following suit, and she started to feel a bit tipsy, still a little drunk from the night before.

After the fifth glass, both Emma and Killian were laughing hysterically at things that were not remotely funny. Emma leaned forward. "Want to know a secret?" she whispered.

Killian nodded his head. Leaning even closer, she continued to whisper, "That night, when I was taken back to the Jolly Roger by your old self, I didn't want to stop."

"What do you mean, love?" Killian reached for the sixth glass that the waitress had brought over, without asking if they even wanted it.

Emma found her way over to his seat the leaned in for a drunken, sloppy kiss. When she pulled back, she continued. "I mean, when I was brought back to the Jolly Roger, I wanted to have sex with you… him." Killian spit out the drink in his mouth, coughing at her blunt confession. Emma laughed and brought him in for another kiss. Emma smiled into his mouth. "But you stopped us," she whined.

Killian's blue eyes were wide, staring at Emma's face. Emma grabbed her cup and tipped the entire thing into her mouth. She stood up, grabbing her purse and walking towards the door, swinging her lips a little more than needed. Killian licked his lips, left money on the table, and stumbled his way behind her.

They giggled as they left the bar, holding each other for support while they made the short trek to the Bed and Breakfast. They raced up the stairs until they came to their rooms. Emma turned to her's, opening the door as Killian turned to his. Emma swung the door wide open and grabbed the pirate by his jacket. "You're coming with me, Killian." She pulled him into her room, kicking the door shut.

Before she knew it, Killian had her pressed up against the door, moving his mouth from her's, trailing down her neck, across her collarbone, and making it's way to her ear. Emma pulled him closer, trying to close any gap that was left between them. She spun them around and dragged him towards the bed while tugging his face back up to her's.

Her legs hit the bed, causing her back to fall to the bed, until she was lying down on it. Killian shrugged off his jacket and made his way back to Emma, kissing her as close to the top of her shirt as possible. Emma moaned at the sensation. Killian started kissing his way back up to her ear and whispered, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

Emma turned her face and smiled at him. "And what is that?" She reached her hands to the top of her shirt, starting to unbutton it to give him more access.

"Trying to avoid talking about Regina." Emma paused, stopping her hands from continuing after making it almost to the bottom button.

Emma groaned, irritated with his ability to read her. She sat up, pushing him off her. "Honestly, Killian, what do I have to do to get you to sleep with me?"

Killian laughed. "Much more than just attempting to get me drunk."

"You're not drunk?"

"I have more rum for breakfast than you have in a year. No, I'm not close to being drunk."

Emma huffed and crossed her arms, suddenly aware at how revealed she was with her shirt unbuttoned. "I just want to forget." She snapped her head to Killian. "And you promised rum solved everything."

"It usually does." He kissed her forehead and leaned in to whisper, "but it doesn't with you, love."

With that, he stood up and strutted to the doors, undeniably proud of himself, opening it and walking out.

Emma threw the pillow at the door and re-crossed her arms, once again frustrated with the pirate. She lied down on her bed before pulling her phone out of her back pocket and texting Mary Margaret, "_Want to have a girl's night? I really need it_." She tossed the phone to the empty space next to her and sighed, trying to calm her breathing and trying to push the thought of sex with Killian out of her mind.

Mere minutes later, Mary Margaret texted back. "_I'll be right over. Shall I bring wine?"_

Emma, thinking about the six cups of pure rum she just drank and the half bottle last night, knew it was a bad idea to drink anything more. Still, she found her fingers typing, "_Yes._"

* * *

Regina didn't make it farther than closing the door before falling to her feet, crying. _It hasn't even been 24 hours and he's slept with her._ She thought. She knew it was irrational to feel this way, she was his wife and they hadn't seen each other for more years than she knew, but the pain was ever present. _And how is it I'm the last person he came to talk to?_

Regina wiped away her tears, sadness replaced with anger once again. She stood up, looked in the mirror as she fixed her hair and makeup, and walked to her guest room.

She quickly opened the door and popped her head in. "Get up."

"Are you all right, Regina? I heard yelling and movement and…"

Regina turned around without giving her any time to talk. "We're leaving."

* * *

Robin found Marian looking at herself in the mirror when he came back. She turned around and saw his beet red cheek. She ran over to him and tilted his head to see it better. "Did she do this to you?"

Robin jerked his face away from her, throwing the stuffed monkey on the bed and making his way to the mini fridge, grabbing some ice to put on it. "I'm fine, Marian."

"No you're not! I told you I didn't want you going there by yourself! I knew she was going to hurt you!"

Robin, irritated, raised his voice, "I told her we slept together. What else was she going to do?"

"Why would you tell her that? What was the point in that?" She went over to Robin and dragged him to the bed, resting his head on her shoulder and taking the ice away from him to hold it on herself. "I'm surprised she didn't magically try to hurt you, and that slapping you was the worst thing she did."

Robin's heart gave a beat when he realized she hadn't used magic on him other than to constrain him. If she had really wanted to hurt him, she would have done a spell.

Or, maybe he was just thinking too much into it.

"Oh, Robin. I'm so sorry she did this to you." She rubbed his scalp as she continued to hold the ice on his cheek. "Now that you're not going to see her again, I won't have to worry about you being hurt."

Robin looked away, saddened by the many poor choices he made today. Between sleeping with Marian and kissing Regina, his insides flipped over and over again. She pulled his face to look at her's, placing a light kiss on his hurt cheek. "Thank you for doing that, today." She gave him another kiss. "I think I know a way to make it up to you." She shifted until she was straddling him, throwing the ice onto the chair adjacent to the bed. Marian gently pushed him back, until he was lying on the bed, kissing him while rubbing her hands up and down his clothed chest.

Robin broke away from her mouth, pushing her off of him. She landed right on top of the stuffed monkey lying on the bed and gave a little, "oomph" and the sudden change of position. He grabbed the monkey from under her, looked at it, and threw it at the door with every ounce of muscle she had. It gave a large knock on the door before sliding, landing upside down on the floor.

Marian, unsure what to think about the fact that it was the first time he ever refused her advances, walked over to the door and picked up the monkey from the floor. "What is this?"

"It's Roland's."

Marian turned the monkey over in her hand. "It's so cute!" She said. "Where did you get it?"

"Regina gave it to him after she saved him." Robin said, sighing while rubbing his cheek.

Marian dropped it out of her hands, as if just touching it would poison her. "He is _not_ getting that back, Robin."

"It's his favorite toy!" he sat up and looked at his wife in disbelief. "You're really going to take it away from him?"

"No, _WE'RE _going to take it away from him." She replied. "I don't want him around anything that would remind him of her.

"No, we're not taking it from him, Marian. It's his favorite toy, it helps him sleep, it calms him down when he's scared, and he is going to get it back when we go to the campsite."

"He doesn't need it. He slept last night without it, and has gone the whole day, too. We'll get him a different toy."

Robin finally reached his tipping point. He stood up, yelling, "Marian! This is not about you versus Regina. This is about a little boy and his favorite stuffed animal!" He made his way to leave the room. "I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but you won. You don't have to worry about Regina anymore."

Marian's voice raised as well. "Regina tried to kill me. Regina is taking my family away. All I have heard for the past day is Regina this, Regina that. So yes, it is about me versus Regina. If I don't want my son to have a silly toy, he's not going to have it."

Robin stomped over and picked up the monkey, deciding to give one last jab before leaving. He forced his voice to soften, and he used every ounce of energy to make his final words sting, making them stay in her head until they next met. "And that is why she makes a better mother than you, Marian."

Robin dramatically walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him. Once in the hallway, he saw Killian standing in the doorway of his room next door. "Need a break, mate?" he asked, suggesting he heard everything that just happened.

Robin only nodded as Killian held his arm out, gesturing him into his room.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was back in his shop, looking at the picture in the safe again. The thought of Milah was killing him for three distinct reasons.

The first was that he was beginning to miss her again. He hadn't thought about her in years, and he began to think about the perfect life he had once had, 300 years ago. The first day he met her as children. The evening when she wore a white dress, more beautiful than he had ever seen her, and all their family and friends watched as they said vows. The party when they were on opposite sides of a room, stealing glances at each other and smiling when they were supposed to be talking to other people. The night where he knew in his heart that they created Bae together. The morning that he told her about his father, and she told him about her sister. The list went on and on for all the reasons he still loved her.

The next reason was that thinking about her made him remember the pain she brought him and Baelfire. It was because of her that his son cried to sleep for years, because of her he had to watch him break. It was because of her harsh words, "You're a coward!" playing over and over in his head, driving him to become the dark one, making him the broken and evil man he was today. He remembers looking at her while she defended her pirate lover, choosing Hook over him. His heart ached every time he thought of her, and it ripped even more when he thought about how part of him still missed her.

The most important reason, he thought, was because of Belle. What was he doing, lying to her? What was the purpose? Rumpelstiltskin could tell he was hurting Belle, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the only light in his world of darkness disappear. He loved Belle will all of his heart.

_Except the part I'm letting be controlled by Milah._

Rumpelstiltskin heard the ringing of his door opening and he quickly threw the picture back in his safe, saying, "We're not open right now, you can come back tomorrow," without even looking at who was standing in the room.

Whoever was coming to visit was not leaving. Slightly irritated, he slowly turned around and looked at the woman standing before him. Her long brown hair pulled in a half ponytail, her muted green eyes staring at him, her dress one that she wore some night when they were laughing at dinner. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, thinking of how this was the most vivid illusion of Milah to date.

Yet, she didn't vanish. In fact, she came even closer to him, finding her way around the room until she was standing directly in front of him. She brought her left arm up to move a strand of hair out of his eyes, her soft fingers barely brushing his hairline in doing so. Rumpelstiltskin continued to watch her as she cupped her hand on his face.

"Milah?" the name fell from his mouth. She merely nodded, not saying anything. "I thought… I thought you were…" Rumpelstiltskin was having a difficult time making out sentences as he stared at her. He finally reached out his own hand to see if she was really standing there, as if the mere touch of her would prove to him that she was here.

Milah stayed silent as he touched her. She stayed silent as he said incoherent words. She stayed silent as he examined her. Finally, after a while, she leaned forward and brushed her lips across his left cheek. Turning around, she started to walk away from him.

"Milah! Wait!" Rumpelstiltskin followed her, but his hurt leg caused him to go at a slower pace than she. "Come back! Please!" But the door opened, and she was gone from his shop.

Gold fell back onto the counter, hand over his heart.

He knew the visit couldn't have been real, but at the same time, he had physical contact with her and she had responded to his every movement, nothing that had happened in his previous visions.

He had to get out of there and see Belle. As quickly as his leg would let him, he exited the shop and found his way across town to Granny's.

* * *

Emma impatiently waited for her guest to show up. She was checking her phone every few minutes, seeing how long it was taking.

When she finally heard a knock 20 minutes later, she practically sprung out of her bed to run over to the door. After un-gracefully getting her foot caught on the leg of a chair, she finally was able to open the door and see Mary Margaret standing there, holding a bottle of red wine in her hand.

Emma nearly pulled her in, closing and locking the door behind her. She reached for the two wine glasses Mary Margaret brought and set them on the table. Mary Margaret opened the bottle and started pouring wine halfway up the cup.

"To girls night!" Mary Margaret said, lifting her cup up to Emma's. Emma clinked the glasses together, and they both took a tiny sip.

"How's Henry enjoying time with you and David and Neal?" Emma asked.

"He's having fun. He visited Regina for a bit today." Mary Margaret took another sip of her wine.

"And Neal?"

Mary Margaret smiled. "He's great, but I doubt you asked me over to talk about our sons. What do you _really_ want to talk about?"

Emma took a deep breath, gaining her courage. "Mom… Can you be Mary Margaret for the night?" Mary Margaret, confused by the question, brought her face to a frown. "What I mean is, I want to talk to my best friend, Mary Margaret, not my mom, Snow White. Does that make sense?"

Mary Margaret's heart broke, sad that Emma had to ask her not to be her mother for the night, but nodded at the request.

"I don't want to feel judged by my mom. I just want advice from my friend." Mary Margaret nodded again before taking a sip of her wine.

"Okay, Emma. What do you want to talk about?"

Emma looked around the room, unsure of her mother was going to be able to act like a regular friend. "I wanted to talk about Killian."

Mary Margaret grinned, making a mental note to tell David he was right. "What about Killian?"

"I kissed him on the patio of Granny's last night while everyone was at the party…" When Mary Margaret just looked at her, waiting for more, Emma took a large sip of her wine. "Please don't tell David what I'm about to tell you."

Mary Margaret lifted her hands up besides her face, acting innocent. "I promise this will stay between you and me, Emma." When Emma took another sip of her wine, Mary Margaret probed for more. "So… Was it good?"

"I don't even know where to begin. He was so gentle, his hand threading through my hair while his hook padded my back. But he was passionate, as well. Nothing like the one we shared in Neverland, or the one I had with Hook in the Enchanted Forest. It was a really, really good kiss."

"So, do you like him?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I think so. I mean, last night I got drunk and tried to sleep with him…" Mary Margaret's eyes opened up. "Don't worry, he was a complete gentleman and didn't do anything. Then today before texting you… I may have tried again."

"Tried… So he refused both times?" Mary Margaret looked shocked.

"I don't really remember much from last night, but earlier today he told me he knew I was just trying to get him into bed to take my mind off of Regina."

"And, were you?" Her eyes gave her a curious glance.

"Yes… No… I don't know." Emma downed the rest of her wine, noting it can't be good at how much she has had to drink in the last 24 hours. "I think I really like him." She said, sheepishly. "But I don't know why he keeps refusing me, because I know he likes me, too. I thought pirates were into these… _nightcaps_!"

Mary Margaret agreed. "I see the way he looks at you, Emma. I think he more than likes you, and he wants more than a one-time thing."

Emma cringed at the thought of being in a real relationship, grabbing the wine bottle and pouring herself another cup. "How did you know with David?" she asked. "I mean, I know the story – I was even there for the second version of it – but how did you know he was who you were supposed to be with?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "You just know in your heart." Emma swirled the liquid around in her cup. "Have you ever felt this way about a man before?"

Emma thought hard about the three other men she had loved in her life. "I didn't really love Walsh… It was a love based on lies, and not just because he was working for Zelena. I wasn't living a real life." Mary Margaret waited for her to continue. "With Graham… I'm not sure. Our time together was so short. I think it could have grown into something real, but I don't think it was quite yet. And with Neal?" Emma swallowed, knowing this is what "Snow White" judged her about the most. "When I thought I loved him, I was 17 and stupid. I was so naïve, Mary Margaret! I ended up pregnant and in jail. Now that I've known him as an adult, I realize I could have never loved him. He's hurt me too many times."

Emma was pleased to say her mother stayed in her "friend" character, not trying to push Neal on her again.

"The way I feel about Killian is so deep, so real, do you know what I mean?" Emma looked away from her friend. "I always want to be around him. I want to hold his hand, I want to kiss him, I want to snuggle on a coach together." She shook her head. "Apparently, my drunk self is dead set on sleeping with him. Why is my mind refusing to let me love him?"

"Why do you think?"

Emma paused, afraid to admit to her mother why she has always had trouble with relationships. "I'm sorry, Mom, but it is because of Neal, and because of you and dad, and because of Henry, and because of all my foster families, and because I can't trust anyone except myself. I'm sorry if I offended you…"

"I'm your friend tonight, Emma. Don't feel bad about anything you say about your parents." Mary Margaret pushed out, even though her heart tore a little when Emma suggested she wouldn't let love in because of her.

"I don't want to be hurt again," Emma let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I don't think I'd be able to build myself back up again if he left me."

"I think that's your answer, Emma."

Emma took one last sip of her wine while Mary Margaret did the same. "I know…"

Mary Margaret tipped her head towards the black jacket still in Emma's room. "I see one of your attempts occurred here."

Emma playfully slapped her friend. "That was from failed attempt number two."

* * *

"What the hell did Marian do to your face, mate?" Killian asked, examining the redness still bright on his cheek.

"Um… That was actually Regina."

"Ah, the Evil Queen. That makes a little more sense, although the yelling next door suggests otherwise." Killian walked over to the bed as Robin found a chair that matched his in the next room over.

"She just doesn't understand!" Robin complained. "She doesn't understand that this isn't a simple-choice situation! I can't leave my wife for Regina after she traveled through time for me, but I can't leave Regina for my wife because I love her so, so much."

"That mark on your face and the shouting next door tells me that both women have made up their minds on whom you will be with."

Robin took a deep breath. "Marian and I had sex this afternoon."

Killian laughed. "I know, I heard you." Robin covered his hands. "Don't worry, Emma and I left as soon as we determined what you two were doing."

"It felt disgusting, Killian. I don't know why I did it. As soon as we were done, I regretted every moment of it. I can barely look at her anymore. It reminds me of how awful I've been to Regina."

"Why did you do it, then?"

"Because it was familiar. Because I thought maybe it would make any decision I may have easier. Because I missed and longed for her for such a long time. Because I didn't know what else to do... But sleeping with her only made things worse." Robin's hand stroked through his hair. "I told Regina about it."

"What did she say?" Killian leaned forward, intrigued by the new gossip.

"That she never wants to see me again, which is good because Marian banned me, anyway." Robin shook his head and dropped it into his hands. "What am I going to do? I can't just not see Regina ever again. I love her more than I can say." He looked back up at his relatively new friend. "What would you do if Milah came back?"

Killian chuckled and grabbed his flask from the dresser. "I'd keep a flowing stock of this." He joked, tossing it over to him. "But, luckily, this is not my problem, mate. And you need to figure out what to do."

"I think I ruined any chance of happiness." Robin admitted, tipping the contents of Killian's rum flask into his mouth and swallowing, hard.

"Aye," Killian replied.

"So, you think I should try to win back Regina?"

Killian only shrugged. "All I know is that I will keep fighting for Emma until the day I die, no matter what comes between us."

* * *

"I am still mad at you for getting married last night and not even inviting me!" Ruby said, pulling off her apron and putting on a cardigan. She marched out from behind the counter and brought Belle over to a booth. "So, tell me everything."

"It was just Rumple, my father, Jiminy, and me. We were in the woods – I in a white jacket and Rumple in a suit. My father brought me over, and you wouldn't believe Rumple's face!"

"No, I wouldn't… _Because I wasn't there_!" Belle smiled as she shook her head, realizing Ruby was never going to let it go.

"You were the first one I told, if that makes up for anything." Belle suggested. "Say, can I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

"What do you know of Milah?" Belle asked.

"Gold's dead wife and Killian's pirate lover? Not much, other than the basic facts. Why?" Ruby questioned back.

"I can't get the scene between Marian and Regina out of my head from last night, and all I can think about is Milah. I don't know anything about her, and for some reason, Rumple is refusing to tell me anything about it. I can't shake the feeling something is off when it comes to her and Rumple." Belle confessed to her best friend.

"It's understandable. She died, she was his first love, the mother of his child, and she hurt him pretty bad. I think she might have been one of the reasons why he became the dark one." Ruby tried to comfort Belle. "But I don't think he's keeping this from you because he doesn't want you to know about it. I think he's keeping it from you because he doesn't want to think about it. It's too painful for him to remember."

"Ever since I brought it up this morning, Rumple has been acting… off. I don't know how to explain it."

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe you should just let it go. Sometimes, in a relationship, you have to back off when it's hurting the other person."

"Hey! I'm the one who's married. I should be giving you advice!" Belle joked.

"Nice try. I could write a whole book on relationships. If it wasn't because of all the people I set up and all the things I do, this town would be 100 single people living next to each other, without anything happening! I mean, just last night, I…" Ruby opened her eyes, proud of the fact she stopped herself from gossiping. "Never mind."

"What! Who were your victims last night?" Belle asked, wanting to know the latest couple Ruby tried to set up.

"No one." Ruby swallowed, smiling at Belle. "So tell me, how was the… _wedding night_?"

Belle reached across the table and lightly slapped her arm. "I'm not going to tell you about _that_!"

"That bad, huh?" Ruby teased.

"No! It was very special. He was…" but Belle was interrupted when the bell rang and a man came up behind her, pulling her up into a big hug.

"Belle, I'm so happy to see you." Rumpelstiltskin said, hugging her even tighter and giving her a long kiss.

* * *

"You stayed silent the entire time like I asked, correct?" Regina asked, sitting in the living room with her newest partner in crime.

"Yes, for the hundredth time, I didn't say anything. I stood there, let him look at me, let him touch me, kissed his cheek, and left without saying anything." Milah said. "It was rather sad, actually. I wanted to at least say hi."

"That would have ruined everything!" Regina said, without leaving a pause from Milah's words. "We need to slowly introduce you back into his life. Next time, maybe. Now tell me, how did he look when he saw you?"

Milah tried to think back. "He was definitely confused…" She said, "And he wanted to see if it was the real me."

"Good. I want him confused." Regina replied, standing up from the chair she always sits in.

"So, what's next, then?" Milah asked.

"Well, tomorrow is Thursday. Every Thursday, Gold goes to all the shops in town and picks up their paychecks. I want you to be sitting in Anastasia's Café, by yourself, drinking tea or whatever pirates drink. I'm hoping he will choose to sit down and talk to you."

"And then I can say something?"

"Small talk, yes." Regina grinned. "But first, I need to talk to Prince David."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I really enjoyed writing chapter 7! I loved seeing the different ways they all went to sleep that night. Captain Swan fans are really going to enjoy this chapter, and I think everyone's heart is going to be tugging for OQ. The next chapter will be up sometime this week, although I don't quite know when.

* * *

I would really appreciate feedback, since this is really my first multi-fic (and I have only ever written two other FF one-shots.)

Henry and Neal were long asleep by the time Mary Margaret got back home. David was sitting at the island in the kitchen, looking over some paperwork from the sheriff's station, clearly waiting for his wife to come home. When he heard the clink of a key and the opening of the door, David turned around, smiling as his wife came in.

"Here," David said, looking at the clock and only now noticing it was past 2:00 in the morning. He went over to where Mary Margaret was closing the door and brought her into the apartment, pulling her towards the couch in the middle of the room. "How did it go?"

"You were right… Well, half-right." Mary Margaret replied, plopping down, exhausted from the long day.

David chuckled. "Usually I am," he joked, "but, please tell me what it was this time?"

"She did want to talk to me." She said while David nodded, putting on a smug face. "But she asked if I wouldn't be me."

David looked puzzled. "Huh?" He asked, not understanding what she meant.

"She said she'd only talk to me if I acted as Mary Margaret her friend, not Mary Margaret her mother."

David nodded, understanding. "Well, it's a start." His head started to spin as the conversation from this morning found it's way back into his head. "So, she wanted to talk to her _friend_, not her _mom_?" David repeated, which Mary Margaret, rubbing her eyes, silently agreed. "So, does that mean she wanted to talk about boys?"

Mary Margaret's breathing hitched, and if it had been anyone other than David, they wouldn't have noticed. "Why would you think that?" She asked, trying to put on a nonchalant voice, knowing it wouldn't work.

"What did she say about Killian?" David pushed.

"She asked me not to tell you, David." Mary Margaret pleaded, hoping he would drop it.

"I'm her father, I deserve to know what is going on with my daughter." He said. "Besides, that's what we would have done if we raised her – parents tell each other their children's problems late at night to know what's going on. We'll do it with Neal one day."

"You're lucky I'm bad at keeping secrets." Mary Margaret sighed, too tired to disagree with his logic. "You can't tell _anyone_, David. Otherwise, she'll never talk to me again."

David smiled and kissed her forehead. "What did she say tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know where to start." Mary Margaret rubbed her head, as if trying to jog the memory of just hours before. "She obviously loves him, but she won't admit it."

"Did she say why?" He asked, his arm reaching over her body to pull her closer, his thumb starting to run up and down her bare skin.

"Because of us, and Neal. She said she won't let anyone in because she's always had to fend for herself. She said between being abandoned by her birth parents, former boyfriend, and foster parents, she doesn't trust anyone." Mary Margaret sighed. "It killed me to agree with her when she was saying these things, but she's really had no one until Henry found her."

David gulped. "It's hard to think of it that way when we did it to give her her _best chance_. But, we also have to look at it from her perspective – she grew up alone."

"She still hates me because I was pushing Neal on her." Mary Margaret said. "All I wanted was the three of them to be a family. I can tell she still feels like she is being judged when she talks about not wanting to be with him."

David continued to graze his finger on her arm. "As much as you don't like it, Neal wasn't very nice to her. He often told her down and she usually just took it, instead of standing up for herself. Remember when she was right about Tamara and Neal simply brushed her off? For some reason, he has some hold over her." He turned so his eyes met Mary Margaret's. "That being said, we did name our son after a well-deserving man. But, at least _I_ can't deny, that if he had been a boyfriend that she brought home for dinner when she met him at 17, I don't think I would have approved of him."

Mary Margaret sighed. "She talked about Graham and Walsh, too. She said she didn't feel the same way about Killian as she had either of them."

"It's because she loves him. Killian is a really good guy," David replied.

"We didn't even notice when Emma said she and her were on the patio of Granny's for a half hour, making out." Mary Margaret admitted, closing her eyes as the time grew closer and closer to three. "And apparently, she has tried to sleep with him twice in the past 24 hours."

David jerked around. "WHAT?" He almost yelled, before Mary Margaret put her hand over his mouth to mute the noise, raising her eyes above her, hoping that their son and grandson didn't wake up.

"I guess she stayed over at Killian's last night after Ruby got her drunk and she tried to seduce him. Nothing happened, though." Mary Margaret dropped her hand and looked back at her husband. "He just took care of her and made sure she was okay." David's breathing, which had suddenly sped up, started to slow. "And the second time, he told her no because he knew she was just trying to take her mind off of Regina."

"Well, at least I don't have to kill him for taking advantage of her." David said. "And she told me she was just checking up on him this morning!"

"This is why she asked me not to tell you – she didn't want you to know about it." Mary Margaret shifted until her face was directly in front of his. "Do not tell anyone I told you this. Emma will never trust me again."

"The only person I'd tell is you, and you were the one who told me, so I think the secret is safe."

"And David? You really cannot confront her or Killian about any of this. It's not her father's place to butt into their relationship."

David leaned his head against the top of the couch before looking back at her. "I promise I won't talk to them." He said. "Although, if he puts a finger on my daughter…"

"It sounds like he won't do anything with her unless she's in her right state of mind." She reached her hand up to his forehead to move the strand of hair that had fallen on his face. "Despite her efforts."

"Did she say anything else?" he asked.

Mary Margaret thought hard. "I don't _think_ so. We were having wine, and she was having a lot of it, but I think she's just stressed right now."

"Makes sense." David said as he shrugged. "Now," he kissed her forehead. "We have two sleeping children," he kissed her nose, "an empty bed." He kissed her lips, "and no one has to do anything," he kissed right below her chin, "for hours." He kissed the nape of her neck that touched her shoulder. "Killian may not have been willing," he kissed the hollow above her collar bone, "but I am," he kissed her lips again "if you are."

Mary Margaret, who had responded to each kiss by moving her head to give him more access, smiled into her husband's mouth. "What did you have in mind?"

David scooped her up until he had one hand underneath her knees and the other behind her back. He kept kissing her as he brought her to their bed right outside of the kitchen.

* * *

After Milah was magically locked back in the guest room, Regina made her way up to the second floor, finding her way to the bedroom. She looked through her dresser for what she wanted to wear to bed. The first thing she came across was one of the three shirts belonging to Robin that she had been filtering through as pajamas. She held up the cotton shirt and, before she realized what she was doing, her hands bore fire, and the shirt burned before her very eyes. She quickly dug through and found the other two and burned them as well. She then found a pink set that she used to wear before Robin used to sleep over. She walked over to her closet and changed out of the clothes she had worn for the day, slipping into the satin fabric.

She walked over to her bed, lifted up the cover, and nearly fell into the bed. She forgot how tiring vengeance could be sometimes. She lay on her back, watching the fan turn slowly as she thought of her confrontation with Robin today.

_What was the point of telling me he loved me? _She asked herself. _He chose Marian, his family, and is not allowed to see me again. Telling me he loved me was such a selfish thing to do._

But, while she was trying to hate Robin, at the same time she thought about the man that had brought happiness back into her life when she thought it couldn't be there anymore. She thought of the days they spent doing nothing other than smiling and drinking wine, the nights that they spent holding each other. That's the Robin she wanted to remember. The man with the lion tattoo, the man who was her soul mate, her true love.

She closed her eyes, hoping she could fall asleep, but instead stayed in some limbo in between consciousness and unconsciousness.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was still shaken by having such a vivid hallucination of Milah this afternoon. He decided that the only way he was going to stop thinking about Milah was to admit everything about her to his new wife.

After coming back home and having a nearly silent dinner, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin were sitting across from each other on the sofa. "What do you want to know about Milah?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth. What did she look like?"

"She had dark brown hair that waved down to her mid-back and muted green eyes. Her lips had a touch of pink and had lines by her mouth from smiling. She was beautiful, Belle." He admitted. "There were times I would just look at her and think how lucky I was to have her in my life." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the sketch of Milah and passed it to Belle. "I forgot I had this until you brought her up."

Belle stared at the picture for a long time, moving it closer and farther away to analyze the small paper as much as she could. "What was she like?" she asked, still looking at the picture.

"She used to laugh a lot. She cared about me, very much. She was always talking about the future, doing bigger and better things and going on grand adventures." His eyes sparkled at the thought. "After I came home from war training, she changed. She had a hard time looking at me. She said she would have rather had me die a hero on the battlefield than come home a coward. But the first time I saw her holding baby Baelfire, I didn't care what she said. Even then, I still loved her deeply."

Belle held the piece of paper back out to Rumpelstiltskin, offering it back to him. He took it, snuck a quick peek at the drawing, then folded it and put it back into his pocket.

"Why did she leave?" Belle asked.

Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes in pain before opening them. "She met Hook. He offered her adventure, excitement, thrill – things I couldn't give her. I found my way to Hook's ship and pleaded for him to let her go, thinking he had taken her captive. When he said he'd fight me for her, I backed down."

"Didn't she care about you or Neal?"

"I think deep in her heart she did, but she didn't act on it. She made a selfish decision, Belle. Although she called me a coward, I think she was just as big of one." Rumpelstiltskin continued.

"Did you ever see her again?"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "The last time I saw her, I was already the dark one. I had so much hatred in me, the pain she caused me was blinding my judgment. I had to tell Baelfire every night for years that mommy wasn't coming home, then hearing his attempted silent cries at her memory. I ripped her heart out, right on the deck of the Jolly Roger, and crushed it to sand. Milah died aboard the ship right in front of me, but the pain stayed. Killian came towards me with a hook, and I cut off his hand, right then and there to steal a magic bean that was in the other hand. To this day, I still don't regret the decision to cut off his hand."

"After all this time, what do you think of her now?" Belle shifted in her seat, looking at her husband, waiting for his answer.

"I've forgiven her. I haven't forgotten what she's done, but I've forgiven her. I now think of all the good memories, what she was able to give me when we were married. I try to block out the bad ones because they lead me to do bad things, like being dishonest with you."

Belle didn't say anything. She moved forward and cupped his face with her hand. "Thank you for sharing with me, Rumple."

He nodded, signifying that he couldn't talk about it anymore. "It's been a long day, Belle. Why don't we go to bed?"

Belle smiled as they walked upstairs, hands held. Once under the covers, Belle kissed him goodnight. He returned the favor, shifting into a comfortable position, and then cleared his mind as he attempted to fall asleep.

He didn't dream of Milah that night.

* * *

Robin stood up and left Killian's room, turning a left to go back to Marian. "Hood!" Robin heard from behind him. "Don't forget this." With his only hand, Killian threw him the stuffed monkey he left in his room.

Once he caught it, he held it up in gratitude with a sad smile, then opened his door and went into his room.

Marian was curled in a ball on the bed, sleeping above the blanket. She was on the side closest to the door – the side she always slept on when they were together. Her left arm was under her head while her right was placed above her heart. Marian's soft face was still red and puffy from crying, and, even though she was sleeping, the sides of her lips were pulled down into a frown while her eyebrows were furrowed together.

As Robin looked at the woman sleeping, he took a deep breath. He thought about all the nights he had slept in a similar position, thinking about the death of the woman in front of him. His heart ached as he thought of the last words he said to her. He had never blown up at her like that, and never in his life ever wanted to hurt her, not only physically, but also emotionally.

He gave a long look at the toy they had fought about earlier. Walking to the tiny garbage can in the corner, he tossed it in, watching the trash suddenly become full and hearing the soft rustle of the white bag in it. With a final glance at the monkey, he turned back towards the bed, took off his boots, and silently tip toed across the room to the other side. With as little movement as possible, he lied on top of the bed, facing away from her so their backs were nearly touching, mimicking her current position. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the events of the day without any success.

* * *

Emma was lying on her bed with her feet crossed, her arms under her head, and her back flat against the mattress. She blinked her eyes, and her lights turned off.

She couldn't get the conversation she had with Mary Margaret out of her head. Although she knew her mother was probably home right now, telling David every single detail of the night, she felt better having another person acknowledge her feelings. She needed someone to listen, to help her understand that it was okay to be scared, to have someone explain what love was.

Even though her eyes had been closed for some time, she still wasn't able to fall asleep. She didn't know what came over her, but she swung her legs over to the side of the bed while sitting up. Reaching out, she grabbed the long, black leather jacket lying across it and and stood up, walking straight forward.

She crossed the dimly lit hallway until she reached the door opposite of her's. _What am I doing? _She asked herself, but she found herself knocking on the door anyway. She heard some noise on the other side of the wall before footsteps coming towards her.

For the second night in a row, Killian opened the door with no shirt on, lights off and hair disheveled while tying the strings on his leather pants. With sleep in his eyes, he said, "This seems familiar," laughing at Emma's confused face, not remembering that this happened only the night before.

Emma just held out the jacket. "I wanted to return this."

Killian glanced at the large analog clock hanging at the end of the hallway. "At 2:30 in the morning?" but he smiled. "I'm very grateful, Swan. Thank you."

Although she was about to turn around and walk back to her own room, words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. "Can I sleep here tonight?" Killian stepped back, opening the door wider for her to enter. Taking one long, deep breath, she walked in, trying to muster up any courage she had, unsure what she was even doing. "I… I couldn't sleep."

"No need to explain anything, love." He reached out his left arm, Emma only just now noticing that there was no hook, no fake hand, no brace on it. When he saw her staring, he quickly hid it behind his back, using his other hand to finish gesturing her in.

Once inside, Emma kept her back to Killian and shrugged off her sweater and pants, leaving her in only a white tank top and her underwear – what she typically wore to bed. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in that day, and carefully turned around to face Killian, analyzing his reaction.

He could tell she was not trying to seduce him this time, but telling him how comfortable she felt around him. To show her the same, raw honesty, he tossed the jacket he was just given onto the nearest chair and lifted his hand to the strings of his pants, still trying to hide the stumped one from her. He lowered his own leather pants, revealing the tight fabric kept that him from being nude. Without talking, they both stood there, staring at each other, a silent conversation of trust unspoken between them.

Emma was the first to move. She found her way to the bed and lied down, turning to her side to face Killian. He was still attempting to hide his missing hand from her as he walked around to the other side of the room and sat on the bed. More afraid than he had ever been in his life, he lied on his side and scooted forward until the front of his body was covering the back of her's. He lifted his left arm, about to put it around her waist to hug her closer, but decided against it, resting it on his own hip instead.

Emma turned her head back to look into his eyes. She could see the pain in its blue depths, the fear of being so close to her, the worry that he was doing something that made her uncomfortable, the anxiety that she would not accept him for who he was. She was happily surprised that she didn't run out of the room right then and there. Instead, she grabbed his wrist, still staring into his eyes, and brought his handless arm to her lips, leaving a soft kiss on the scarred-over tip. She settled his arm across her body and turned herself only enough for her lips met his for a brief moment. With one last, longing look, Emma turned towards the wall, scooting back the tiniest amount to close the space between them. She drew in a deep breath that matched the one he took.

Killian kissed the back of her head, smelling the scent of her hair as he settled his head down onto the pillow behind her. "Good night, Swan."

Emma closed her eyes. "Good night, Killian."


	8. Chapter 8

Early the next morning, Robin heard a knock on the Locksley's hotel door. Marian stretched, but refused to open her eyes and acknowledge someone was knocking. Since he hadn't slept a wink anyway, he stood up and went to greet whoever was visiting.

As soon as the door opened, Robin saw Little John, Will, and Roland. Although he was too tired, Robin put on a huge grin. "Roland!" he shouted, a little too enthusiastically. "How were your adventures yesterday?"

"Great, daddy!" He ran into Robin's arms and jumped, prompting Robin to lift him into the air and catch him on his hip. "Lil John and Will and everyone tooked me all around the woods!" He smiled. "Will letted me hold a real arrow!"

"Did he, now?" Robin asked, turning towards the two Merry Men standing in the hallway.

Will shrugged. "It's not like I let him use it." He said, defensively.

Roland looked past Robin to see his mother, sitting up in the bed. "Mama!" he exclaimed, thrashing in his dad's arms to let him down. He ran over to Marian and jumped on the bed, ignoring the hug she was about to give him. She smiled as she saw her son with so much energy in the morning. "Why did you get a big boy bed and I got to sleep on the ground?" he asked her, still jumping on the bed.

She finally grabbed him enough to pull him from jumping. "Mommy needed to sleep on something soft." She reached her hand out and pushed his nose, Roland scrunching up his face, laughing. "You can sleep here with Mommy and Daddy tonight, if you'd like. What do you say, Daddy?" she asked, forcing the final answer on Robin.

Roland ran to his dad. "Please! Daddy I want to sleep here, too!"

Robin knelt down until he was eye level with his son. "Of course you can sleep here tonight."

Roland jumped, putting a fist in the air and began to roam the room, looking in drawers and pulling out chairs.

Marian grinned, watching her intrigued son, then turned to the two visitors. "Thank you for watching Roland yesterday and last night. Please, come in." She offered. Will and Little John stepped into the room, laughing at all the commotion.

"It's so good to see you, Marian." Little John said, walking over and giving her a hug. "What do you think of Storybrooke so far?"

"I cannot get used to all the magic here! Can you believe that by just touching that rectangle over there, light springs into that circle on the ceiling? And…" Robin tuned out Marian's fake enthusiastic voice, one that only he would notice, while she made small talk with Little John. Will, noticing his lack of attention to her conversation, nodded his head at the doorway, signaling that he wanted to have a side conversation. Robin walked over to him and they stepped into the hallway, keeping the door open, but talking in hushed voices.

"How did yesterday go, mate?" Will asked.

"It was a disaster." Robin said.

"Why?" Will pressed on.

Robin didn't want to explain again all the poor choices he made again, but knew he couldn't not tell Will what happened after he gave him advice yesterday. He decided to tell the story in swing, hoping that Will would drop it after that. "Let's see…" He started, sarcastically. "I started by sleeping with Marian," Will's eyes widened but quickly went back to normal size, hoping Robin didn't see it. "Then she told me I could never see Regina again. Then, I went to see Regina and told her I cheated on her, but then said I loved her." Will's mouth began to open at Robin's confession. "Oh! And then she slapped me and I came back here. Then Marian and I had the biggest fight we've ever had, so I went over to Killian's next door. He gave me some rum, told me that I should fight for Regina, then I came back here and stayed awake until I heard you knocking on my door." Robin shook his head. "And I think I've covered everything."

Will took his hand and grabbed Robin in for a hug, patting his back two times before saying, "Bloody hell, Robin. That was one bad decision made after the next." He pulled back. "What in god's name made you do all of that?"

"I don't know. One thing happened and then another and then it just kind of spiraled out of control." Robin shook his head. "And now I'm here, and all I can think about is how I wish I was with Regina."

Will started to move until they went back into the room. "I wish you lots of luck, Robin." He laughed.

"Daddy!" Roland nearly screamed. Robin looked and found him by the trash bin, reaching in and grabbing the toy from it. "Look, Daddy! Monkey is here!" He brought it over to his father to show him the treasure he just found. "Gina's monkey is here!" He yelled. Then, he looked around the room, unsure why his monkey was here but Regina was not. "Where's Gina, daddy?"

Robin's eyes flickered to Marian, whose lips became very thin while her head raised a little, interested to see what he was going to say. "Well, son. Gina's at her big white house. We won't be seeing her for a while."

"Why?" he asked, hugging his monkey tighter.

"Gina is busy right now."

"Can we go there tonight?" he asked.

Robin shut his eyes quickly before opening them, picking him up. "No, Roland. We can't see Gina tonight."

"Why, daddy?" Roland asked again.

Robin felt his anger rising at Marian's banishment, forcing him to tell his son he couldn't see Regina, and had to do everything in his power to keep his voice gentle. "Roland, we will not be going over to see Gina again. Ever." He took a deep breath. "Do you understand?"

"But I like Gina." Roland said.

"I do, too. But now we have Mommy to play with, instead. And she wants to get you a new animal, as well."

Marian stood up and walked over to her son and husband, visibly upset that Roland had grown so attached to Regina, but refused to let her son see. "Roland, why don't you go sit in the chair over there?" She asked.

Roland hopped out of his father's hands and went to sit in the chair, carrying the monkey with him and playing with it on his lap. "I'll throw it out tonight, after he's fallen asleep." Robin said, his voice in low whisper but still cracking towards the end.

"Thank you." She said, closing the space between them and giving him a big hug, resting her head on his chest. She turned her head slightly to watch her son, gleefully bouncing the monkey up and down in his arms. "Do you think he'd like a fox?" she asked.

Robin stayed silent at her suggestion, thinking. _No, because it's the monkey that he wants._

* * *

Emma felt a hot breath on the back of her neck wake her up. She opened her eyes, at first confused where she until her eyes began to focus. She looked down and saw a handless arm holding her. Suddenly, she realized where she was, and her anxiety switch flipped on.

Her first instinct was to panic and figure out a way to get out of here without the man sleeping next to her hearing and waking up. But the man behind her was Killian, and she didn't want to have to panic anymore. She took three deep, deep breaths, and forced herself to stay where she was.

She shifted until she was lying on her other side, his arm still draped over her hip, so she could look at his sleeping face. He looked peaceful while he slept, like he didn't have anything to worry about and 300 years of adventures were simply figments of his imagination. She gently reached her hand up to brush a brown strand of hair out of his eyes and slid her finger down to his face, feeling the rough prickles of his beard on the tips.

He started to stir on the bed before his eyes opened, slowly, blinking a few times before fully seeing the woman laying beside him. He smiled, and she leaned up to kiss his lips, staying there for as long as she could. She pulled back, watching him and engaging his reaction, before seeing him lean down and kiss her again.

They stayed in bed, kissing each other for a very long while. Their chaste kisses not needing anything more than just the press of their lips and dance of their tongues, only occasionally pulling apart to breathe. Killian's right hand found it's way to Emma's head, tangling its fingers in her golden hair while his left arm rubbed up and down her back, leaving tiny goose bumps along the way. Emma's arms somehow wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him closer until his body was fully pressed up against hers.

The sun, which was barely breaking when they started, was now shining bright through the window. When they finally stopped, they brought their foreheads together, like they did in Neverland and at Granny's, smiling at each other while staring into each other's eyes.

"What a great way to wake up," Killian said, pulling his stump from behind her and subtly placing it behind his back. Emma didn't even notice he was no longer holding her, only smiling at how unexpectedly happy she was.

"Thank you for letting me sleep here." Emma replied, wanting nothing more in that moment than to reach back up to his face and continue their morning make-out session.

Killian didn't respond. He just looked at the woman next to him, unable to believe that she was actually next to him. The woman who had brought him back from the man he hated, the one who reminded him that love was not about revenge, but about strength, trust, and admiration.

Emma, only now realizing the heat around her had vanished, started to grab Killian's arm, bringing the handless arm in between them. She rubbed her finger over the top of it, feeling the scars left from when it had been severed, memorizing every line, dip, and curve of it. Killian watched her with fixed eyes before distracting her with a kiss and sneaking his arm out of hers, hiding it under the covers to keep it from Emma's view.

Emma, who had at first responded passionately to his lips, pulled away. "Why did you do that?" She asked.

"Do what, love?"

"Try to hide it from me." She reached under the blanket until her hand covered his arm and brought it back out, grasping it in both hands in an attempt to keep him from taking it away again. "I already know you lost your hand, it isn't a surprise to me."

Killian was no longer looking at her, but at his own arm instead, wanting nothing more than to reach over to the table on the other side of the bed and put his brace and hook back in it's rightful place. Emma saw his lower lip tremble, memories forming in his eyes as he looked at it. "Many women shy away from it." He confessed. "It's frightening, it's a reminder that I'm not whole." Unable to control it anymore, he tugged it out of Emma's grip and placed his right hand over the top, hiding it from her view. He brought his eyes back up to hers. "I want to be the kind of man you deserve to be with, and it only reminds me that I'm not worthy of your love."

"You let me see it last night," Emma pointed out.

Killian licked the bottom right corner of his lip. "It was dark, and late." He shifted a little, making his naked arm even less visible. "You were asking to be with me, I wasn't really thinking, I was tired. It's ugly, Emma."

Emma, knowing not to push him by trying to take his arm again, simply shook her head at him. "I think it's beautiful." She said. She reached her hand out to brush his hair back once again. "It may be scarred, it may make you not whole physically, but it is part of who you are, Killian. It makes you whole as a person." She lowered her thumb to the scar on his face. "It's no different than this scar here, on your face." She dragged her fingers down to touch a raised bump located right behind his left shoulder. "It's no different than this scar." She graced her finger to touch one that was between his neck and collarbone. "It's no different than this scar." And finally, she moved her arm down over his heart, opening up her hand and putting her full palm over it. "And it's no different than any scar in here."

Killian's eyes closed when she was guiding her hand across his body to find scars. His face withered in agony, remembering where each scar came from, and thinking how he didn't deserve to be happy. "I'm not a hero, Emma. I'm a villain, a bad villain. Villains don't get to be beautiful." He opened his eyes to look at her. "_I_ don't get to be beautiful." The man who hid behind innuendos and strutted around with conceit had never been more undisguised, Emma the one bringing it out of him.

Emma pulled him closer to her, so she could whisper in her ear. "I have never met a man more worthy of the title 'hero' that you, Killian." She leaned down onto the bed again, taking her hand to cover the hand that was still gripping his left arm, not attempting to move it, but to signify she not only accepted it, but also embraced it.

When she saw that he wasn't going to say anything, Emma rolled over until she was facing the table next to the bed. She grabbed the brace and hook in her left hand, leaving the right over his. Setting it down in between them, she let go of his hand and turned her body away, closing her eyes.

She felt the brace being picked up, making the bed a little lighter. The silver of the hook briefly graced her arm before she heard a "click", telling her that he put it back on. Her heart sank, thinking that even after last night, after telling me that she didn't mind it, he still put it back on. Emma felt disappointed, a brick replacing itself on her emotional wall. After a moment, she felt the cool metal of his hook brush her hair away from her neck and guide her face to look at him. "If I'm a hero, it's because you made me one."

Emma gave him a half smile before standing up and grabbing her clothes, tugging on her pants and just holding her sweater until she looked semi-put together. She was having a difficult time thinking, and she felt leaving was the only way to handle the unpleasant building pressure in her chest. Killian stayed in bed, watching her redress from behind, thinking only of how amazing the woman standing before him was. All he wanted was to be open with her, and this was the first time he refused to let her in. She heard him from behind her, knowing he was looking at her and suddenly self-conscious from the intimacy they had the previous night and this morning. Another brick stacked itself on her wall.

Emma started to make her way towards the door, halting when she heard Killian call out to her. "You've now slept in my bed twice. When are we going to talk about Regina, love?" He was leaning against the headboard, the blanket pooled around his waist, leaving his body bare before him. Trying to ignore the comment, and the half nude pirate, she pivoted until she was fully facing him again.

Thinking quickly, she walked over to him and leaned over the bed, tossing the sweater on the table before standing above the covers that he was still under. She took her arms and placed them seductively on the bed before him, knowing that he now had a full view of her cleavage. Killian swallowed as he tried to keep his eyes fixed on her face, Emma silently giggling whenever she saw his eyes flicker south. "I'll make you a deal." He raised his eyebrow, intrigued by the suggestion. "I'll be willing to talk to you about Regina…" Emma trailed off. She shifted until she was balancing her body on her right hand, leaving the arm free. She reached over and brushed his arm all the way down until she grabbed his hook, bringing it up between them. "When you are willing to let me see this." Dropping the hook out of her hands, it landing with a "thump" on the bed, she paraded to the door. Her voice teasingly chipper, she waved and shouted, "Thanks again for letting me stay here last night, Killian."

Emma peeked her head out of the door to check if anyone was there. Seeing a blank hallway, she walked out, turning around to silently close the door. When she went to face her own door again, she saw Ruby standing right in front of her, arms crossed and hip out. "Is this a stride of pride I see?" She asked, candidly.

Rolling her eyes, Emma walked around her to her own door. "It's nice to see you too, Ruby." Pulling out her key, she opened the door and started to walk in.

Ruby followed her closely behind. "How was he?" she continued.

Emma sat down on her bed and looked at him. "We didn't do anything, Ruby."

"Your pink lips tell me _something_ happened." Ruby gave a knowing smile.

"I mean, yeah, we kissed, but that was it."

Ruby shrugged. "Whatever you say, Emma."

* * *

Regina went to her locked room and grabbed the vial of truth serum she had made before. Closing her finger around it, she went into the kitchen and found the houseline. She called over to the Charmings' loft, hoping it would be David who answered.

To her uncommon luck, he picked up the phone. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hello, David. This is Regina." She said, finding her way over to a chair at her kitchen table. "I was wondering if you could bring Henry over? I want to see him a little bit today before I have to… work."

"Of course. Let me wake Mary Margaret and she'll be right ov—"

"Oh, don't wake her. She just recently gave birth, David, and I'm sure Neal has been keeping her up. Why don't you just bring him over?"

David didn't respond for a brief second too long. "You're right. Henry and I will be over in 20 minutes."

"I'll see you then." Regina smiled into the receiver before hanging up. Knowing that David never refuses a cup of coffee, she went over to her machine and started preparing a batch. She found the muffins she had baked for her, Roland, and Robin and set them on the table along with the fruit Mary Margaret had brought over.

Regina walked the familiar route to Milah's guest bedroom. She opened up the door and found Milah attempting to change her hairstyle. "I am about to have a meeting with someone, and I need you to stay quiet, or…"

Milah rolled her eyes and cut in. "Or there will be consequences, I know, Regina." She turned towards her captive. "When am I going to see Rumpelstiltskin today?"

"After the meeting." The doorbell rang, and Regina heard a knock. "This shouldn't take too long. Just be quiet."

Regina locked the bedroom door and went to answer the front one. "Hello, Henry!" She reached down and gave him a big hug. "How was last night at David and Mary Margaret's?" She asked, a little too enthusiastically.

"It was great, mom!"

"What about the sword fighting?" Regina asked, her tone becoming one pitch.

"Grandpa taught me this cool new trick! And I think I'm getting better, too. Right, gramps?" he turned to David, who had been standing silently by him the entire time.

He patted Henry's shoulder. "He'll be using a real sword in no time." Henry stepped through the door. "I'll see you later, Henry." David said, turning to go back to his truck.

"David!" Regina stopped him. "While you're here, why don't you come have some coffee and a muffin? I'd love someone to talk to while Henry's getting settled in."

David took a long look back at his truck before stepping closer. "I suppose that couldn't hurt," he said, looking reluctant. "I do have to get to the station by 9:30, though."

Regina smiled, moving her hand to show him the way in.

They walked to the table that was directly down the hall from them. "How do you take your coffee, David?" Regina asked.

"Cream would be great." He responded, looking around at the mayor's house.

"Coming right up!" Regina announced. She grabbed a mug and poured in some of the steaming coffee into it. She grabbed some cream from the counter and poured that in, as well. Finally, she turned her head to look at David, who was sitting at the table tapping his thumb, and went into her pocket and to draw out the truth serum. She quickly poured three drops into the cup and slid the vial back into her shirt. She hastily poured another cup, thinking she was spending too much time, and turned around, smiling. She passed him his cup, taking a slow sip of her own coffee while he brought his own mug up to his mouth.

"Tell me, David. How is Neal doing?" Regina asked, waiting for the serum to work into his system.

"He's great. He has a good set of lungs on him, and he loves to scream halfway through the night." He winked. "Luckily it's usually for food, and that's Mary Margaret's department."

"I remember Henry was like that, too. He was an extremely fussy infant. After a while, though, he became the easiest child, as if a switch went off in his body.

"Well, I'm hoping that happens with Neal. Mary Margaret and I are tired all the time." He said, taking another sip of his coffee.

"It gets easier." She said. Regina wanted to see if he would start telling the truth yet, so she asked a mundane question. "Do you really have to get to the station by 9:30?" If the serum was working, he would be able to answer truthfully and not realize he was spilling any secrets. He would also immediately think he told a lie.

"No, 10:00." He said. "I just didn't want to stay here too long." Regina smiled, knowing that she could begin her questioning.

"So tell me, David. What do you and Mary Margaret think of Hook?"

"Well, I like him as a person, for sure. Mary Margaret still doesn't completely trust him, though. She is always ready to believe he will turn on us at the drop of a hat." He said, grabbing a muffin from the table.

"What do you both think of Hook _and Emma_?"

"I wish Emma would just come out and say she loved Hook already. It's getting painful watching her yo-yo between liking him and being awkward around him." He took a bite after peeling off the wrapping. "I really don't know what is holding her back."

"Has she said anything?" She asked.

"She told Mary Margaret that she is afraid that he is going to leave her, like everyone else in her life has. But I don't think so. I think he cares for her too much." Regina smiled at the confession, now knowing that Emma was insecure about being abandoned. "This is really good, Regina. Did you make them yourself?"

"Thank you. And yes, I did make them myself. But I must ask, what has Emma and Hook done… Romantically?" She questioned.

"Well, they kissed in Neverland, and on Granny's patio on the night they came back from the past. I guess she has also tried to seduce him, twice, but he's always said no." David finished his muffin, wiping his face with a napkin. "Which I'm glad about. She was either drunk or tipsy, both times."

"Have they told each other they loved one another?" She asked.

"Hook has hinted towards it to Emma, but I think Emma is afraid of the words." He stood up.

"Well, this was a lovely chat, David. I have some work I have to do. I'll call up to Henry for you to go."

David downed the rest of his mug. "Thanks."

Minutes later, Regina was back with Henry, who had a disappointed look on his face. "No, Henry, you can't use a real sword yet… Or ever."

David put his hand behind Henry's back to guide him to the door. He leaned down, smiling, "We'll have to keep it a secret then, huh?"

Regina walked over to Henry and gave him a kiss and a tight hug. "After tomorrow, we'll spend the whole weekend together, okay? I will make sure my work is done by then."

Henry nodded. "I'll see you later, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Henry." She waved as Henry and David walked out to the truck.

Regina didn't wait to see if they made it back to the truck before running to Milah's room. "Let's go," she said, snapping her fingers. The dress Milah wore yesterday was gone and in it's place a lace yellow one, with a nude fabric underneath to give it the illusion there was only lace. Her hair, which Milah had finally gotten into a semi-working half-pony, was transformed into a braided crown with yellow flowers laced in. She had on a muted-brown sandal that matched a brown pendent around her neck. Regina tilted her head to admire her work. "This should do." She walked around Milah, observing her work in a full circle. "Yes, this should do."

* * *

Belle had gone to the library while Mr. Gold was making his way around the town, collecting the rent from each of the shops. Granny's Diner, Hatter's and Co., Game of Thorns, Lumiere's Lighting… Stopping at each place, he went in, got his money, and got out.

The next on the list was Anastasia's Café. Anastasia was a newer person in town – only returning after Will came back to Storybrooke after the second curse. He had met her in Wonderland during a quick visit he had taken with Jefferson, her quick wit impressing him.

"Hello, Anastasia. It's time for this month's rent." Rumpelstiltskin said, holding out his hand.

"One second, Mr. Gold," Anastasia said as she reached underneath the counter to grab her checkbook, writing out a check for the appropriate amount. "I heard you and Belle got married a couple nights ago."

"We did. It was a small thing, though." he starting to get impatient. Tapping his fingers on the counter, he looked around the café. It was a cut little place, with small white tables and matching white chairs. It was crowded today, like it was most days. He watched as people ate soup and chatted. As his head was turning, he looked at the front corner, hidden by three tables surrounded it. Squinting to see who was there, he saw a woman, reading a book and eating a sandwich, nonchalantly turning pages and not noticing the building around her.

"Here you go, Mr. Gold. Would you like a free scone?" She asked, gesturing towards the glass case while he grabbed the check, not looking at her.

"Not today." He said absently. He walked the short distance from the counter to the back corner, nearly knocking over chairs, tables, and people in his haste. Once he got to the table, he stood there, not knowing what to do.

Milah grinned into her book, knowing it was Rumpelstiltskin who was standing over her, knowing she had done her job right and Regina wouldn't be mad at her. She put on a blank face, "Sir, you're standing in my light," without looking up, turning a page, even though she hadn't been reading anything.

"Milah?" Rumpelstiltskin said.

Milah slowly lifted her head to look at the man towering over her. "Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked. "Is that you?" internally laughing, since she has been playing games with him for the past two days.

Rumpelstiltskin slid into the chair opposite of her. He reached his hand out to touch the woman sitting there. "Are you… Are you really here?"

"What do you mean?" Milah asked.

"I, well…" Mr. Gold shifted in his seat. "I thought you were dead… I know you were dead."

"Well, I'm sitting right here, Rumple." Milah said. "How would you explain that?"

"I don't know." He shifted into the chair directly next to her. "How would you explain that?"

Milah smiled. "Oh, Rumple." She reached her hand to touch his face. "You're the same man I once knew." She looked around the room, spotting Regina watching behind a newspaper, but everyone else in their own conversations. She leaned up to him and brushed her lips across his in a sultry manner. He closed his eyes, remembering how her lips felt on his from all those years ago. "I've missed you."

Gold's eyes narrowed on her, his eyebrows turning down a bit in the middle. "Have you seen Hook?"

"Who?" Milah asked as if she didn't know whom he was talking about.

"Killian. Killian Jones." He replied. "Have you seen him since coming here?"

"Who's Killian?" Milah leaned back. Regina had instructed her that the last thing she remembered was being his wife, not running away from him. "Is Bae here?" she looked around the room, suddenly realizing she hadn't seen him.

Rumpelstiltskin swallowed a large lump in his throat. "Baelfire's dead, Milah. He died relatively recently." He continued. "And you don't know who Killian is?"

Milah was shocked by the news about her dead son – something Regina had so conveniently left that out of the story. Then again, Milah was ashamed that she hadn't even thought to ask about her son.

Pushing the thought of her true love down her thought, she continued the charade. "Rumple, I don't know who this Killian man is. Should I?"

Mr. Gold raised an eyebrow, skeptical and unsure of what was happening. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I remember you coming to me and saying you had basic training for the ogre wars, then I remember giving birth to Baelfire. I don't remember much else after that." Milah kept her eyes on Rumpelstiltskin, making sure she didn't show any signs of lying to him.

Rumpelstiltskin stood up suddenly, grabbing her wrist. "Come with me." He said, leaving the café and dragging her to his shop. Once inside, he locked the door, made sure the "closed" sign was prominently displayed, and turned around to her. He started pacing his pawnshop, not knowing what to do.

Milah walked forward towards him, pushing him against the glass counter and throwing the cane behind them. She crawled her fingers up his stomach until she reached his neck, dragging circles in between his collarbones. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I've missed you, Rumple." She gently kissed the shell and pulled back, a closed-lip smile staring at him.

Rumpelstiltskin was breathing heavily, confused with that to do. On the one hand, his first love was back, with no memory of the lover she left him for or the bad things he's done, touching him and reminding him of why he adored her 300 years ago. On the other hand, his mind drifted to the library, where a bookworm was probably sitting and reading whatever book had fallen into her hands that day.

"You have to… I have to…" Rumpelstiltskin couldn't figure out the words he wanted to say. Milah started kissing his jaw line, leaving little pecks across it. All his memories of her and them flooded his mind. Did he really want her to stop? He didn't know. But, what he did know, was that Belle was just across town. He pushed her back with one arm. "Please, Milah."

"What's wrong, Rumple?" Milah put her hand on his right shoulder.

"You need to leave. Now." Milah just stared at him, not moving. "I said, now." He grabbed her arm, ignoring the shooting pain in his bad leg, and pulled her towards the door. "And, I never want to see you again." He threw her out and closed the door.

She stood there for a little bit, then started walking back towards the café. He found a tiny hole in between all the knick-knacks in his shop window and watched her leave, unable to describe the pain resonating in his lower chest.

He wobbled back to his office and sat in the chair. _The last thing I said to her was that I never wanted to see her again… _he thought, wondering if he was going to regret his own words.

The thought didn't last long, though, because he heard a bell from his door opening and then footsteps coming towards his office. Thinking only Belle would come into the shop when the sign said closed, he just waited for her to find her way to him.

But, when someone showed up in his doorway, it was not Belle. It was Regina.

She walked over to the desk and sat on top of it, looking at the richest man in Storybrooke. "Why, Mr. Gold. It looks like you have seen a ghost!" she said, giving him a grin that suggests she had business to discuss.

"Make it quick, Regina. I am not in the mood to talk with you right now." He replied.

Regina shifted until she was more comfortable on the desk. "Was that Milah coming out of here?" she asked, innocently.

Mr. Gold's eyes opened wide. "You need to leave." He said, repeating his words to Milah from moments earlier.

"Fine." She got up and started walking out, the reaction was all she needed to see. "But I suggest figuring out what _that_ was…" pointing outside towards where Milah just walked away, "before trying to talk to _that_ one." She brought her hand over to the direction the library was.

_This is not how I imagined being married to Belle would be like._ He thought as he started rubbing his leg, regretting that he so hastily ran without it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **There are 5 swear words in this chapter. I don't want to change the rating to M, but please know they are only used to show destruction and I didn't put them in for fun.

* * *

Regina now knew three things.

The first one is that Rumpelstiltskin really believed Milah was there. Which, she understood it was Milah in body and spirit, but technically it was Thumbelina. Regardless, if she could fool Gold into thinking she was the real thing, she was hoping it would fool Hook, too.

The second one is that Milah is a good liar. She's good at seducing men, and she has been good at following directions, _so far._ Regina was slightly nervous that she might go rogue when she was put to the test against Hook, but from what she saw, she could get any man wrapped tightly around her finger.

The final one is that Emma loves Hook. David flat out told her that. If Hook left Emma, like everyone else in her life has, she would be completely broken. She would feel the pain of losing love, just like she felt with Robin.

The plan was perfect.

The only thing that she worried about was whether Killian would choose Milah over Emma, like Robin did Marian. But Hook went 300 years in love with her, trying to revenge her death. There was no way he would throw that away for a two-year dalliance (one of which they were apart in different lands and the other half they were enemies).

Yes, the plan was perfect.

* * *

Roland and Marian were out in town on a "mother-son play date". Marian wanted some alone time with her son to remind him who his _real mom_ was, so Robin suggested they went out to get some ice cream and play at the park.

What he really wanted was some alone time.

Robin sat in the chair he had spent so much time in the day before looking out the same window, watching the mayor's house in the distance. He was holding the stuffed monkey – which he promised that he would get rid of earlier – but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Roland loved it _too much_.

And, if nothing else, it reminded Robin of Regina.

_I wonder what she's doing right now._ He thought to himself. He re-shifted in his chair to find a new comfortable position, but ended up standing instead. He walked out of his room and went to the room next to his, knocking on his new friend's door.

When Killian answered, he gave a big smile. "Hello, mate. I hope things are going better today."

"What has you all chipper?" Robin asked.

Killian leaned in and whispered, "Emma spent the night with me."

Robin slapped him on the back. "Congratulations." He tried to smile and show his support. "What did you do?"

Killian, who would have normally talked to David about this, decided to confide in Robin instead, since David may not be as receptive when talking about his daughter's love life. "Nothing, really. We just slept and then talked this morning. And we kissed… A lot." Killian gave a naughty smile. "I think she's finally accepting her feelings for me."

"Well, I'm glad love is working out for one of us." Robin said.

"Do you want to come in and talk about it?" Killian asked.

"Nah. I'm on my way down to Granny's to grab something to eat." Robin held out the stuffed monkey. "Can I keep this here? Regina gave it to Roland, and Marian doesn't want him to have it. But, it's Roland's favorite toy, and I can't bring myself to throw it out."

"Of course." Killian said, taking the monkey in his good hand. "It will be here when you want it back."

"If." Robin clarified. "_If_ I want it back."

"When." Killian said, keeping his original statement in tact.

"Thank you." Robin turned to walk away. "And I wish you luck with Emma."

Killian brought his hook up in a semi-wave. "Good luck to you, too." He closed his door, taking the monkey with him.

Robin's face dropped as the door shut. He walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the bed and breakfast's front door to find the entrance of the town's most popular diner. He slumped in and found the barstool closest to the door available.

"Anything I can get for you, Robin?" Ruby asked as she came over.

"Just some tea would be perfect." Robin replied, tapping his finger on the counter and wiggling his leg up and down. "I'm not very hungry."

Ruby left to get some hot water and a tea bag, coming back a few minutes later. "Here you go." She passed him the cup. "Lemon?"

"Yes, please." Robin nodded at the suggestion. "Thanks."

Ruby walked away to help another customer when a woman in a green dress came to sit by him. "Can I sit here?" Robin tilted his head in agreement. She sat down on the next stool over. "My name is Tinkerbelle."

Robin turned to look at the woman, now fully taking her in. This was the woman who claimed Regina was his true love, the woman he now hated for ruining his life. If it hadn't been for her, he would have never felt these feelings for Regina, and Marian, Roland, and him would be a happy family.

"Robin."

Tinkerbelle's eyes widened, quickly glancing down at the lion tattoo on his arm. "Regina's true love!" She nearly shouted before her face fell, remembering what happened at the party the other night. "You don't look too happy for someone whose wife has come back from the dead."

"No, I do not." Robin said, lifting up his teacup to take a sip of the burning hot water.

"Is it because you love Regina?" Tinkerbelle asked.

Robin put his drink down. "That's quite forward. And really none of your business."

Tinkerbelle's face fell. "I'm sorry, I just… I mean Regina… But the dust said…"

Robin brought the cup back to his mouth but didn't drink it. He barely mumbled, "Yes. It's because of Regina."

Tinkerbelle did her best to swallow her giddiness to continue to talk to him. "What is wrong, then? Just go get her!"

Robin slammed his cup down. "It's not that simple, Tinkerbelle," there was a frustrated tone to his voice. "I can't simply leave my wife. I can't simply tell Regina to be with me. It's not pixie dust. It's real life."

Tinkerbelle looked taken aback. "Look at me, _Robin Hood._" He turned to face her. "Don't blame me for your poor decisions. You can either be happy with Regina or miserable with Marian. But your problems are not because of me."

"Regina told me about your damn pixie dust. I don't believe it, otherwise Regina wouldn't have slapped me yesterday." Robin's words stung Tinkerbelle. "Pixie dust is a joke. Soul mates, true loves. What a bunch of bullshit."

Tinkerbelle stood up. "You don't deserve her. It's good you chose Marian, because Regina deserves better than you." She grabbed her purse, leaned in closer to him, and pointed a finger in his face. "And pixie dust never lies." With that, she walked out of the diner, not looking back at him.

Robin turned back to his drink, feeling worse than ever. After he finished, he asked Ruby for another cup, which she brought over mere seconds later.

The door opened, letting the loud bell sounds toll in the diner. Robin turned his head to see Regina standing there, staring at him. She quickly turned around and walked out the door. Robin threw five dollars on the counter and ran after her.

"Regina! Regina!" he said, trying to catch up to her. There was no way he was going to let her leave the diner _again _without at least trying to catch up. Her high heels made no match for Robin's hunting boots, though, and he slowly began to close the gap between them. They reached the edge of the forest before he could finally reach her. "Regina, listen."

Regina turned around to look at him, clearly out of breath. She started tapping her foot and crossed her arms. "What do you want, Robin?" she asked. "I thought you were never allowed to see me again." She shifted onto one hip. "And I never wanted to see you, either."

Robin closed the space between them. "Storybrooke's a small town. It's easy to run into someone."

Regina made to turn around, about to walk back to the street when Robin pulled her back. He held one hand on each arm, forcing her to stand there and look at him. Regina opened her mouth, about to tell him off when he caught her lips in his, stopping her voice while he kissed her.

At first, Regina was hesitant, but then she fell into it and started kissing back. One of Robin's hands drifted to the small of her back while the other found its way up to her hair. Regina's arms, now free, followed up his chest until they were both resting on his shoulders. They broke apart a few times, only to breathe.

As if gears started turning in her head again, Regina pushed him off of her. "What are you…" But Robin grabbed her hand, bringing her into the forest and pushing her up against the closest tree he could find, hiding them from anyone's view. He found his way to her mouth again, having a deeper kiss from the one before. Regina wanted to stop them, but it felt so good, so right.

Robin started to drift away from her mouth, kissing the skin between her neck and shoulder. Regina lifted her head to give him more access, closing her eyes at how great it felt to have him kiss her again. He trailed little kisses across her collarbone until he reached her other side, finding his way back up to her mouth.

Regina's hands made their way to his face, holding him where he was for one last kiss. Then, slowly, she pulled his head away from her, tears pooling in her eyes while she watched him. "Robin…"

"Regina, don't. I've been miserable these past two days. I want you, I don't care about Marian."

Regina just shook her head, bringing a single hand down to push him back. "No."

"But, Regina. I choose you." Robin pleaded with her.

"I'm not something to choose."

"Regina, no! I need you. I love you!" Robin walked towards her, closing any space they had between them. "I…"

Regina, wanting nothing more than to kiss him, remembered his betrayal. How quickly he had slept with Marian after she came back. How he didn't follow her that first night. How he had originally chosen to stay with her. The anger and grief flooded back through her, and she wanted nothing more than to make him feel as hurt as she did. "I don't love you anymore, Robin." Regina said, coldly.

Robin gave her a confused look. "But…"

"No. I don't love you." Regina made sure every word created a different wound within him.

"Regina, I…"

"I don't love you, Robin."

"But…" Robin's body started hyperventilating, the pain of her words stabbing him like knives over and over again. The emotional pain he was feeling was so much worse than any physical one possible.

"No, Robin. I don't love you." Regina slid out from behind the tree, brushing off her hair and straightening her dress. She began walking out of the woods, leaving Robin to stand there, numb.

He reached his hand up to touch his lips, watching her slip through his fingers, again. He could still feel her lip's pressure on his until it slowly faded, along with the image of her walking away.

Robin kicked the ground and turned until he hit his back on the tree Regina was just pinned against. He slid down until he was in a little ball by himself. He started rocking, crying into his pants at the heartache she just caused.

Marian was now his choice by default.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin found his way to the library. He decided to not tell Belle about what happened that day, but instead take her out to a fancy dinner at Tony's Italian Restaurant.

"Wear something nice." He said, smiling at her as they walked home.

Gold waiting in the foyer while Belle changed, coming down in a yellow dress, matching yellow heels, and her hair up in a bun. She smiled from the top of the stairs as she walked down the steps, one by one, until she met him. "Is this alright?"

Rumpelstiltskin just kissed her. "Better than alright." He turned towards the front door, holding out his arm to allow her to grab it, and walked with her out to the car. "You look beautiful."

Belle smiled as she got in the passenger seat. Rumpelstiltskin walked around the car until he got in his side. "You're limping, Rumple."

Gold started backing out of the driveway and driving towards Main Street. "If you haven't noticed, I'm always limping."

"No, differently." Belle said, pushing. "Are you okay? Did something happen today?"

Rumpelstiltskin's breath hitched, but found it's way back to a normal rhythm within seconds. "No different than any other day I collect the rent." He said. "I guess I just haven't used my leg that much in a while." He turned his face to face his bride while they came to a stop sign. He leaned in and kissed her. "Thank you for noticing and caring."

Belle smiled. "I'll always care about you, Rumple. No matter what happens."

Rumpelstiltskin's mind drifted back to his meeting with Milah earlier. Not because he wanted to remember it, but because his heart started to pull, knowing she trusted him and he continues to break it.

"I saw Milah today," he blurted out before stopping himself. "I mean, it was a ghost of her, or an illusion or something."

Belle turned towards him. "Oh!... Do you see her often?" she asked, surprised by the sudden honesty.

"No. I haven't thought about her since the day she died. I think by you bringing her up has made me imagine things, made me think I saw her."

"That's perfectly normal, Rumple. You cared for her deeply." The sun was now setting as they got out of the car and walked into the Italian restaurant. Gold held up two fingers to the hostess and she brought them to a secluded table in the back. "I'll admit, sometimes I think of Gaston. Not romantically, of course, but I wonder what he is up to now."

Rumpelstiltskin swallowed, knowing he wasn't being completely truthful with her. He didn't just imagine Milah. He kissed her, felt her. She was truly there. He had no explanation why, but she was physically in his shop today.

Gold was not about to tell Belle that. Instead, he settled for, "It smells wonderful in here."

Belle smiled, reaching her hand over to hold his. "I love you so much, Rumple."

Gold tried to smile back the best he could. "I love you too, Belle."

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Regina got back to the mansion, her meeting with Robin still fresh in her mind. The pain she saw in his face didn't give her the relief she wanted. It only hurt her more because she knew she was the cause behind it. She went to Milah's room and walked in, flopping down on the bed and hand covering her forehead.

"You look terrible," Milah said. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really." Regina choked out.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Milah stood from the vanity and walked over to sit by the only woman she knew in this land.

Regina turned to look at her. "Not really," she said, although she was lying.

"Are you sure?" Milah asked.

"Not really." Regina said, for a third time.

"Do you just want to sit here with me?"

Regina was not used to having a friend. Her mother locked her up as a child and everyone was afraid of the evil queen. She looked at Milah, trying to decide if it was a trick, to find a vulnerability in her and push the button. Finally, surprising even herself, she nodded.

Milah reached her arm around Regina, bringing her in close. With her other hand, she leaned Regina's head down on her shoulder. Regina was uncomfortable with the close contact, but she stayed there while tears ran down her face.

"This is about the man that was here yesterday, isn't it?" Milah asked while they sat there. Regina nodded slowly, her heart wrenching in a million different directions. "He's the reason I'm here, isn't he?" Regina again nodded slowly, pushing her eyes closed, as if telling the truth was causing her physical pain. "What's his name?"

"Robin." Regina whispered.

"Robin. It's a nice name." Milah shifted until she and Regina were facing each other. "Is he a good man?"

Regina smiled. "He saw good in me when no one else would."

"Do you want him back?"

Regina sat for a moment. "I ruined any chance of that about two hours ago."

Milah went back into her original position. "We'll just have to fix that, huh?"

Regina was silent. Milah's suggestion was intriguing, but it also scared her. It wasn't like she could just go up to Robin and say, _"I was wrong. Leave Marian for me. I do love you."_ That ship sailed the moment she stopped kissing him.

No, the moment Emma brought Marian back. That was when the ship sailed.

The fire started in her stomach again. She pushed Milah back and stood up, the sudden change in positions shocking her. "Tomorrow, you're going to see Killian."

Milah looked confused, but her face changed into a smile. "Really?" she asked.

"But you're going to follow my directions."

Milah's face sank a little, but she looked happy. "I get to see Killian tomorrow."

The sky was completely dark now. "Get some rest. We have a lot of preparation for tomorrow."

* * *

Emma was pacing around her room. It was midnight now, and she hadn't seen Killian all day. She wasn't exactly avoiding him, but she also wasn't actively trying to find him, either. After such a perfect night's sleep and interesting morning, she was afraid she was going to ruin it by seeing him again. She just wanted to remember the moment, forever.

But, she was extremely tired. And every time she tried to lie down and relax, closing her eyes to fall asleep, she was a log. She tried turning on the TV, she tried reading a book, she tried having the lights on, and the lights off. Nothing was working. She looked at her door, knowing exactly what would bring her sleep.

No. She wasn't going to go over there. She had to stay here. She didn't want to ruin last night.

Her head and body and heart were all fighting each other. Her body was so, so tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Her heart wanted nothing more than to see him. But her head told her to ignore the other two and stay where she was.

Her body won the fight, though, because before she knew what was happening, she was standing and walking across the hallway. She was standing before his door, internally struggling between knocking and turning around. _Maybe you can go to Mary Margaret and David's apartment? _ She thought. Her feet wouldn't move, though, and, as if her body was acting without thinking, her hand ratted on the door one single time.

She heard some shuffling behind the door and, more quickly than the first two times, Killian answered the door, this time fully clothed without his long jacket. He must have known she would come again, and she was about to turn around, saying it was a mistake before he reached out for her. "Couldn't sleep, Swan?"

Emma didn't know what to say. That she needed him in order to be able to sleep? The dependency seemed desperate, not at all like her. But she knew the truth – she couldn't sleep without him. "Can I stay here again?" Emma asked in a quiet voice, feeling defeated.

Killian nodded as he opened the door wider for her, his hook offering her into the room. Emma stared at the floor as the sides of her lips turned up slightly in an appreciative grin. She heard Killian close the door as she found her way to a chair at the table. _What am I doing here?_ She asked herself.

She watched as Killian walked over to the base of the bed, taking off his shirt in order to get ready for bed. He was facing away from her, and she felt guilty for surveying his back, looking at every scar, big and small, rugged and clean, that covered his back. He turned around to see her looking at him. His face morphed into a playful grin. "Like what you see?" he said, teasing her more as a statement than a question.

Emma felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked at shirtless Killian. Her eyes kept drifting to down before coming back up to his eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she was stripping off her shirt until she was in nothing except her bra and jeans while running over to him at the same time. Emma seized his face and pulled him down to her face, throwing her lips on his and drawing him in to an enthusiastic kiss.

He responded right away, pulling Emma's body closer so their bare skin was touching, the curve of his hook sweeping her back while his hand dragged up until it was tangled in her hair. He lightly pushed the back of her head as if to bring her in closer to his mouth.

With their lips refusing to part, Killian guided Emma towards the bed. Emma gracefully fell across the mattress once they reached it, her head on the pillow, and she pulled Killian with her until he was hovering over her.

Out of the blue, Killian's lips paused, and he brought his head away from hers. His blue eyes studied her face. "I don't want to be a distraction, Emma," he said as he started to stroke her hair. "I don't want this to happen only because you don't want to think about Regina."

Emma's eyes shifted across his face before she lifted her head off the pillow, bringing her mouth up to his. She gave him a soft kiss before resting her head back down on the pillow. "Do you really think I would sleep with someone just to take my mind off of something?" She shifted under him, remembering the few times when she was in her early twenties that she did that exact thing. She decided to change her sentence. "Do you really think I would waste my first time with you just to divert unwanted thoughts?" Emma brought her hand to cup his face. "If I had just wanted to do that, there is a world full of guys I could choose from."

"I've thought about this moment and I wanted it to be special." Killian was still rubbing her hair with his finger while making sure he wasn't putting too much pressure on her body.

Emma smiled up at him. "It would be special whether we were at an apartment, in a castle, on a boat, in New York, or in the Enchanted forest. It would even be special if it were right here, at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. It doesn't matter where to me, Killian. It will be special because it's you and me." She started to draw circles around his chest, breathing in his musky scent. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Killian's eyes weren't looking at Emma anymore. "It's not just that, Swan." Emma brought his face towards her, forcing his eyes to gaze back into her green ones. "I don't want you to feel like you owe me. I traded my ship for you, and I don't want this to happen because you think you have to."

Emma could see his arm was starting to get tired from holding his whole body up for so long. She pushed herself up, sitting with her legs straight underneath Killian's now straddled legs, shoving his chest back so their bodies were vertical from the waist up. She scooted back a little bit so there would be some space in between them. "I would never thank someone by kissing and sleeping with them, Killian. Why can't you see that I care for you?" She started brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Look, I have had these feelings bottled up well before I found out about the Jolly Roger. I was just afraid to admit it. You were right, you've always been right. I don't let people in, I built a wall up. But brick by brick, you knocked it down." Emma leaned in close to him. "You were right, I see a future here in Storybrooke, with you. If it wasn't for you, I would have never seen that, and I would already be back on my couch in New York. Killian, why can't you believe that I might just want this?"

Killian scanned her face, starting with her eyes and following the curves of her jaw. Emma looked back, trying to telepathically tell him she loved him, without actually saying the words.

Without warning, Killian surged forward, his lips covering hers while they both fell onto the bed. Emma's body shivered underneath him as her tongue danced with his. She felt pure joy as she lied underneath him.

Killian pulled away one last time, sitting up only to take off his hook, his brace following closely behind. "You don't have to…" Emma started, but he threw them on the nightstand closest to them before closing in on her again, not allowing her to finish her thought.

* * *

Marian and Robin were wide-awake right next door while Roland slept alone in the big bed. It had been a nightmare trying to get him to sleep tonight, refusing to accept the fox Marian bought him today in lieu of his monkey. Once he finally drifted off – of exhaustion over embracing the fox – Robin, feeling defeated, brushed a finger through Roland's full head of hair.

"He's a wonderful boy, Robin." Marian said. "Being with him today makes me sad that I missed three years of his life."

Robin, still rubbing his hair, only nodded. He couldn't control the anger that was building in his heart. Between Robin's unwarranted hatred of Marian to the pain he felt whenever he thought of Regina, he was having a hard time thinking straight.

Marian continued on. "You've done well. I proud of you."

"I don't need your approval, Marian," Robin mumbled, almost too low for her to hear. He stood up carefully, making sure he didn't wake his son, and sat at the chair across from her.

"What?" Marian asked, not quite hearing what he said.

"I said, I don't need your approval." He turned to face her, and a new fire was burning in his eyes. "I know I did a good job raising him so far. He's had a good and fulfilled life. I know he is going to turn into a strong man. I don't need you to tell me that."

Marian looked taken aback by his sudden outburst. "You've done a fine job on your own, Robin, but he still needs a mother. I'm here, and you can go back to just being the father. You don't need to be both anymore."

Robin stood up quickly, scaring Marian and making Roland stir in his sleep. "I wasn't both a mother and father, Marian. I had Regina for help."

Marian stood up, too. "Her again! I thought we were done talking about her. She's out of your life, out of Roland's life. I'm back. You both needed me back."

"No we didn't! We _didn't_ need you back, Marian. I moved on, I've changed. Roland grew up. He doesn't even know who you are!"

"He knows I'm his _mother_. He needs his mother." Marian's voice began to rise. "He needs me!"

"I can't do this, Marian. I can't act like this is working." He used his index finger to point between the two of them. "I can tell you're unhappy, and I know I am even unhappier."

"I'm only unhappy because clearly you don't love me anymore." Marian cried. "I spent my life thinking about what was going to happen once we were reunited." She walked up closer to her husband. "And let me tell you, I sure as fuck got the raw end of the deal."

Robin's loathing eyes burned her face. "You got the raw end of the deal? Marian, I was _happy._ I had a life I liked, a woman I loved, and a woman who loved me back. I was living a life I dreamed of since the day you died. Now I look at you and hatred fills me. I look at you and think, _"Why did I spend so much time grieving over you, wanting you back in my life?" _I look at you and think of the wonderful thing I threw away because everyone thought I should be with you. Well guess what. _I don't care anymore._ Go find someone else's life to ruin. You've already fucked up mine enough."

Marian's eyebrows were turned down, her face showing how furious she was with him. "Go, then. Go find Regina. Be happy."

"She doesn't want me, Marian. It's too late for that." Robin's face was turning red. "She hates me, and it's because of you."

Marian stormed up to him so her face was mere inches from his. "No, she hates you because she's a hateful woman. She hates everyone, and a simple outlaw isn't going to change her." Marian walked around him, making sure her shoulder hit his on the way out. When she reached the door, she turned around to face him while holding the doorknob. "Fuck you, Robin. I hope I never see you again."

With a quick exit, she was out of the room. Robin looked at his son, sleeping and oblivious to what had just happened. He took of his shoes, walked over to the bed, and crawled under the covers, holding his son in his arms.

Roland stirred. He looked up at his father, his face changing from a sleepy boy to one of concern. "Why are you crying, Daddy?" he asked.

Robin shook his head. "No reason, son. Go back to sleep. Daddy's tired."

Roland lifted Robin's hand and put it over him, snuggling in close to his father. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Roland." His son closed his eyes and immediately went back to sleep. Robin closed his eyes, too, but all that happened was the water clouding the surface pushed itself out, down his cheeks.

* * *

Killian rolled off Emma, doing his best to catch his breath. Emma was breathing hard, turning her head to look at the man she just made love to. He was grinning from ear to ear, and it made her smile. She turned onto her side and let her finger dance over his chest, twirling in the black hair. Killian dropped his head to look back at her. Emma looked into his eyes and saw nothing but love, which only made her face deepen the smile.

Emma was the first to speak. "I can't believe _that _was what I was missing." Emma leaned over to kiss him on his lips, still baring a soft pink tint.

Killian reached over to her and pulled her over to him, kissing the hair on her head. "You're amazing, did you know that?"

Emma smiled at how perfect he was, how wonderful it felt to lie there with him instead of running towards the door, awkwardly saying goodbye after a quick sexual release, and not leaving her name or number for the random guy that night. With Killian, she was happy. She hadn't quite known what to expect when they finally slept together, but she definitely didn't imagine how euphoric she would feel afterwards.

They lied in bed, Emma's palm eventually falling flat over his chest while his fingers drew shapes on her back. Neither of them said anything, just enjoying each other's company and thinking about what they had just done.

Finally, Killian lifted his left arm and held it in front of her. "Rumpelstiltskin cut it off." Emma shifted to look at his face, uncertainty filling his eyes. "I stole Milah away from him, and I tricked him into thinking a magic bean was in this hand. He just cut it off."

Emma shook her head. "You don't have to, Killian."

He kissed her head again. "I want to. I want you to know about it." He looked at her. "Besides, after I tell you, you will have to tell me about Regina."

"But…"

"That was the deal, Emma. Plus, I know you. You need to get whatever you're thinking off your chest." Killian smiled as he leaned down, kissing her just above her blanket-covered breasts. "Your quite beautiful chest."

Emma swallowed, half smiling at the physical contact, but half frowning. After this morning, she really didn't think Killian would be this open to talking to her about his hook so soon. She wasn't ready, and her face showed it. Killian, seeing her fear, only kissed her forehead in between her brows. "It's okay, Emma. You can trust me." When her face showed no sign of changing, he continued on. "I still remember the pain that shot through my arm. It hurt much more, stung so much more, than all my other scars I had thus far. I still have nightmares about the feeling of my arm becoming lighter without the weight. I think about how incomplete I am all the time."

Emma nodded, listening to his story. "I don't like people to see it. It's ugly. The Dark One clearly did not care if he made a clean cut or not." Killian turned his stump, allowing Emma to see all the jagged lines criss-crossing the pale skin. "Women have often been afraid of it. I don't take the brace off too much, and the hook has definitely helped create fear within others." He turned his head to face Emma. "Why aren't you afraid of it?"

Emma brought her hand up to hold his arm, her thumb brushing over the tip as if to ingrain every line into her memory. "It shows me you're strength. A lot of people break down when they lose a limb. But you, you put a hook on it to show the world you didn't care. That you are secure with the man you are. It reminds me that you have a past, and a painful one at that. Instead of being afraid of it, I think it makes you who you are, and I wouldn't want you any other way."

Killian smiled. "No one has ever accepted it like that before. They always needed the hook to see me as a complete person."

"I think you're complete, whether you have the hook or not, Killian." Emma said, bringing it up to her mouth to kiss it. "It's one of the things I love about you." Emma's breath hitched, realizing she said the "L" word before she meant to. "I didn't mean…"

"I know what you meant, Emma. You don't have to explain anything." Killian's voice was soothing, showing her he understood. "Thank you for listening. Talking about my arm is not easy for me."

"Not having a limb simply changes your physical appearance, not the person behind it."

Killian tilted his head to the side. "Maybe. But I think it changed who I was. I was simply a pirate before my hand was cut off and Milah was taken from me. Once everything happened, I became a villain. A villain, for 300 years."

"I don't see you as a villain, Killian, and that's all that should matter."

Killian hugged Emma closer. "You say I'm a hero, but I don't know if I get that status quite yet. I am hoping to become a man of honor again, though." Emma snuggled her head into his side. "Now, I've kept my end of the bargain. It's time for you to keep yours."

Emma didn't respond. She didn't really know what to say. Instead, she just kissed him, flipping over so her body was on top of his. Killian kissed back at first, but then stopped. "Now, I know you're trying to distract me. You don't want to talk about Regina," he accurately accused.

Emma brushed her lips across his while shaking her head no, "Don't you want another round?" she asked, trying to use a seductive tone. She knew that he would see right through it, though, but hoped that his body would respond instead of his brain.

"Not yet, love. We have to talk about Regina."

Emma rolled onto her back, covering her eyes with her hands. "I don't want to talk about it, Killian."

"I know, but you have to," he pushed, encouraging her to start talking.

"I don't know what to say! I saved a woman and, in return, destroyed Regina. Would I not have saved her if I knew? No! Of course I would have saved her. But I feel so guilty, Killian. So, so guilty." Words kept falling from Emma's mouth. "Is that what you want me to say?"

"Yes! Continue."

"I saw the pain in her eyes, Killian, and every time I close mine, it's all I see. It's why I haven't been able to sleep without you. I feel protected by you, like you would ward off anything that she might do to me. I'm so afraid! I'm worried she's going to go back to the woman she once was, the woman we saw on our trip to the past, and the woman I met when I first came to Storybrooke." Emma continued on. "All I want to do is sit in my room and cry. It kills me that I did that to her."

"You saved a woman's life."

"I know, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I hadn't, but I don't think _that_ even turned out successful, either. Robin doesn't seem happy. Roland is too young to understand. She cheated death, Killian. And I'm worried for her, too. Whatever Regina has planned for me, I'm sure it's one hundred percent worse for her."

"Or, she has nothing planned for either of you. She has grown a lot since you two met. Besides, do you really think she'd jeopardize her relationship with Henry for revenge?" Killian pointed out.

"It's sad that the idea of Henry is the only reason I might have a chance." Emma confessed. "But I don't want Henry to feel like he has to choose. If he did, I know he'd choose me, and she would have lost the only other person who truly loved her other than Robin… And again, it would be because of me." Emma sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, first off, I think you shouldn't hide from her. Why don't you go visit her. It's been two days now, and I'm sure she's had a little time to cool off."

"I don't want to go alone…" Emma looked embarrassed. "I haven't really mastered my magic, and I'm afraid I'd lose if she attacked me."

"You really think she'd attack you?"

"I don't know what she's capable of, Killian."

"Robin changed her. She is kinder, cares more. I'm sure if you simply asked to talk to her, she might listen." Killian rubbed her shoulder. "See? Was that so difficult?"

"Yes." Killian gave Emma an odd look at her response, thinking their talk had helped. "But that's only because I don't understand why we're talking when there are other things we could be doing." Emma clarified as she grabbed Killian's arm and spun the two of them until she was now hovering over him.

Killian only smiled, the shame of his handless arm the farthest thing from his mind.

* * *

**A/N: **And, when chapter 10 is posted, the real Milah-fun will begin!


	10. Chapter 10

_Today's the day! _Milah thought as her eyes opened for the day. She had a terrible night's sleep, but it was only because she was too excited. _Today's the day I will get to see Killian._

Milah sat up and walked over to the mirror in the room. She grabbed the brush that was on the dresser and started counting the strokes. _One, two, three…_ Her mother once told her that 100 brushes every morning would make her hair delicate and fine. _Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…_ Of course, she spent years not doing the act while on the Jolly Roger, and so her hair was pretty ratty and frizzy by now. _Thirty-three, thirty-four..._ But today was a special day. She wanted to look nice.

Milah only made it to fifty-six before Regina knocked and walked in the room, without waiting for Milah to invite her in. She slinked over to the bed, sitting down and crossing her legs in front of her. Regina turned her hand and Milah's half-brushed hair was swept into wavy ringlets flowing down her back, her grown-out bangs braided on top of her head. Every sliver of hair was in the perfect position, and Milah was worried that the slightest movement would ruin it.

"What do you think Hook would like more, a dress or a sailor suit?" Regina studied Milah, looking at her as if she was a piece of art. "On the one hand," Regina giggled to herself, "you both went on _adventures_ together, and the sailor outfit would bring back those old memories…" She twisted her head the other direction as Milah turned to look at her. "But, a dress would show him your femininity, and would bring out a lust within him at the mere sight."

Milah shrugged her shoulders. Regina grinned. "I know the perfect outfit." She snapped her fingers and Milah's outfit from the previous day vanished, turning into a black shirt with gold crosses, a black mini skirt, black tights, and black high heel shoes. Finally, a red leather jacket appeared above it all.

Milah spinned until she was facing the mirror. "What am I wearing?" She swiveled the bottom half of her body so she could see behind her, then turned back to look at herself. She picked up one foot to study her new shoes, but since she wasn't used to balancing on such a thin heel, she nearly toppled over. She ran her hands over the red jacket, smelling the new leather scent as she graced it. "Why would you think _this_ is the perfect outfit?"

"This was the outfit she was wearing when Emma agreed to come back to Storybrooke,"  
Regina said simply.

"Who's Emma?" Milah asked.

Regina laughed. "Did I not mention Emma?" When Milah shook her head no, she started to explain. "Emma is the reason you're here."

"I thought you said Robin was the reason I'm here…" Milah's eyes turned back to look at herself in the mirror, examining the outfit and realizing it wasn't as bad as she thought.

"It's because of Emma that Robin left me. I intend to do the same thing to her." Regina grinned as Milah came over to sit on the bed next to her. "With you."

"I'm confused, Regina."

"Emma loves Hook," Regina said, as if it was a fact everyone should know. "And he loves her back, even more."

Milah's heart clenched as the room faded around her. She felt dizzy as she brought her hand to her heart, her breathing completely stopped. "He… What?"

Regina smirked. Even with this budding friendship, deep down, Regina still loved this feeling of ruining someone's happiness. "Oh, they are crazy about each other. Hook pursued her for nearly two years before she finally realized she loved him. Emma has never been more vulnerable. You're the perfect person to ruin whatever happiness she has right now."

"He loves someone else?" Milah could barely choke out the words.

"What did you expect? It's been 300 years since you died, and he _finally_ moved on." Regina scoffed. "It took him long enough, if you ask me."

"He's moved on?"

Regina's glee turned sour. "How else must I spell it out for you? They love each other. But you are going to ruin that. You are going to take him away from her." Milah could hear Regina's annoyed tone. "She took my love away from me, so I'm going to take her love away from her. And it's going to be so much better, because she never lets anyone in. This is going to destroy her."

Milah was still wrapping her mind around what Regina was saying. "What exactly are you wanting me to do, Regina?"

"You're going to seduce Hook. You're going to make sure she sees you, and you're going to make damn sure he picks you."

Milah opened her mouth. "Are you really that ruthless, Regina?" The bliss she felt this morning when she woke up was gone, her whole body was trembling.

"Why do you even care? You betrayed Gold all those years ago. It's not like you're any better than me. In fact, you might be worse, since you left your son motherless."

Milah stood up. "I will not take part in this. It would be one thing if you were using me to get Killian out of the way. But you're using me to destroy a woman's heart!"

Regina rolled her eyes and stood up. Without warning, she dug her hand into Regina's chest and pulled the synthetic heart out. "There. Now you don't have emotions anymore." Milah looked around. The pain she was feeling moments ago was gone, her whole body empty. "I should have done this a long time ago. Are you ready to go over the plan now?"

"What do I get out of it?" Milah asked.

Regina smiled, knowing that without her heart, she was going to be much easier to control.

"You get your precious pirate back."

* * *

Emma woke up facing the pirate next to her. As she drifted back into consciousness, the memories from the night before came back to her like a tidal wave. Her heart leapt as she thought of how they had somehow matched perfectly, as if their bodies had been made for only each other. She looked at the man's closed eyes and remembered the love she had seen before they had gone to sleep. Her face beamed as she turned to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Emma's mind drifted to the words, "true love", that there is one person out there who is your soul mate, your one chance at happiness. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she could tell that Killian was becoming her true love. The feelings she had for him completely outweighed the ones she had felt for any other man she's had in her life. They were so strong, so passionate. She loved him.

He brought her walls down, the ones she spent 30 years building up, the last 12 completely cementing the bricks in. Emma didn't know how Killian had done it, especially since she was always so careful. But he did, and she felt great about it.

About 20 minutes later, Killian smiled into his pillow, opening his eyes to look at Emma. He brought his fingers up to trace Emma's arm, as if the moment was a dream he had to make sure was real. "Did you sleep well?" He blinked his eyes a few times to bring her into focus.

Emma giggled at the way his tired mouth stumbled over the words, clearly not ready to be awake yet. "I did. Did you?"

Killian shifted in the bed until he was right up against her, their bare skin touching each other before giving her a chaste kiss. "Never better."

"I want to thank you," Emma said, sheepishly.

"For what?" Killian blinked a final time, Emma finally becoming in full focus.

"Everything. For your support, for your understanding." She leaned over and gave a peck on his nose. "For last night."

"I should be thanking you, lass." Killian chuckled. "We would still be fully clothed and in separate rooms if it wasn't for your persistence." Emma just punched him in the shoulder. "Do you plan on talking to Regina today?"

"I think so. But first, I was hoping we could get some breakfast at Granny's?" Emma said. "And maybe a shower?" Emma lifted up the covers and walked to the bathroom, moving her hips a little more than necessary while she felt Killian's eyes study her nude figure. Once at the bathroom door, she turned around. "Well, are you going to join me?"

Killian bolted out of the bed and ran over to the bathroom, pushing her in while pulling the door shut, locking it behind them.

* * *

Robin felt the bed bounce next to him. He opened one eye, surprised he actually fell asleep, only to see his son jumping on the bed. Robin smiled as he grabbed his son, pulling him into a big bear hug. "No jumping on the bed," he teased.

"But it's so much fun, Daddy!" Roland replied. "See?" He pushed his body out of Robin's grip to stand on the bed again, jumping up and down. He reached for his father's hand, trying to pull him up. Robin obliged, standing on the bed and started bouncing with his son. He felt silly, but in that moment, all of his negative thoughts vanished as he heard his son's laugh and watched his son's gleeful face.

Robin fell back on the bed. "You have too much energy for Daddy sometimes, Roland!" he joked, watching his son still bounce.

Roland gave a final pounce before crawling into his father's lap, facing him. Roland brought both his hands to Robin's cheeks, pulling them up to morph his face into a smile. "You don't smile anymore," Roland said. "Why are you sad?"

Robin put his hands around Roland's, covering them completely, and pulling them away from his face, bringing a big (albeit, fake) smile to his face. "Daddy's happy. Especially when Roland is happy." He poked Roland's nose, making him giggle.

Roland's face became serious again. "I'm sad."

"What are you sad about, son?" He asked, genuine concern taking over his body.

"Mama won't let me have my monkey." Robin's heart sank as Roland continued on. "And I don't get to sleep in a big boy bed anymore."

Robin stood up, taking one of Roland's hands in his and walking with him towards the door. "Why don't we go get some waffles at Granny's? You need a big breakfast if you're going to grow into a big boy!"

Roland jumped up and down on their way to the door. "Can I have strawberries and whipped cream?" he asked.

"How else would you eat a waffle?" Robin joked as he closed and locked the room behind him.

Emma and Killian, both of whom had dripping wet hair, clearly just out of a shower, exited Killian's room right as Robin and Roland passed. Killian winked at Robin while Emma looked mortified, as if she was being caught doing something wrong. Roland jumped up and down in front of them, stopping before their door. "Killie! Emma!"

Killian bent his legs until he was eye level with the young boy. "Hello, lad. Where are you off to?" he asked. Emma beamed at Killian and Roland, but quickly shifted in her spot when she saw Robin looking at her.

"Daddy is taking me to get waffles! He even said I can put strawberries and whipped cream on it!" Roland smiled, showing his utter delight.

Killian laughed. "That sounds delicious, Roland!" Emma said from the wall.

"Daddy! Can Killie and Emma come with us?" Roland brought his hands together and gave his father puppy eyes.

"Son, I think they had other plans…" Robin looked between the two of them.

"Please?" Roland turned back to the pirate. "Come with us, Killie!"

Killian looked up at Emma, who in turned nodded, and he stood up. "We would love to, Roland." Roland looked ecstatic as he grabbed Killian's hook, pulling him and his father with his two hands. Emma followed the three boys closely behind.

When they got to the diner, they found a booth in the middle. Emma and Robin slid into the booths while Killian and Roland sat on the outside. Roland beamed across the table at Emma and Killian before looking back at his dad next to him. He looked like he had never been happier.

Ruby came over to the table. "What will you all have this morning?" she asked, smiling and holding up a notepad.

"Roland and I would like waffles." Robin started before Roland cut in.

"AND STRAWBERRIES AND WHIPPED CREAM!" Roland nearly yelled. Ruby laughed, writing it down.

"Roland will have milk and I'll have water." Robin continued, passing the unopened menus back to Ruby.

"And what will…" Ruby sniffed her nose as she looked between Emma and Killian, both of their hair was still dripping wet. Emma's face suddenly turning beet red while Killian smiled at the woman next to him. Ruby started laughing before finishing her sentence. "What will you two be having?" Ruby let out another chuckle, waiting for their answers.

"I'll just have some scrambled eggs and water," Emma said, refusing to look at Ruby as her face stayed the same shade of red.

Killian looked at the menu, his face contorted from confusion. "What the bloody hell is bacon?" He pointed his hook at a menu item, "and French toast?"

Emma's colored face faded while she grabbed the menu from his hand, passing it to Ruby and laughing. "He'll have scrambled eggs, bacon, and French toast."

"Anything to drink?"

"Rum…" Emma hit his side with his elbow, nodding her head towards Roland. "Er… Water is fine for me." Killian laughed.

"Coming right up!" Ruby said as she turned away.

Robin, Killian, and Emma were talking mindlessly for a while. Suddenly, Killian's breath hitched as he saw a woman walk past him. She turned her head only enough for him to see her face before walking into the hallway by the bathroom. Killian shook his head, closing his eyes and opening them, tilting his head and trying to decide if he really saw what he thought he saw.

Emma turned towards him, her face suddenly concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Killian brought his face to Emma's, eyes the last thing to shift back, and replied, "Yes. Everything is fine. I thought I saw something, but it was just my –"

"GINA!" Roland yelled, jumping out of the booth and pointing to the back corner. Emma, Robin, and Killian's heads turned simultaneously to look at Regina, sitting alone at a table. Roland started to run towards her before Robin could grab him.

"GINA!" Roland yelled again when he reached her. He jumped up on her lap and gave her a big hug. Regina was surprised by the appearance of the boy, but recouped quickly and hugged him back. "Gina! I missed you!"

Regina smiled. "I missed you too, Roland. You look so much bigger since I last saw you! Did you grow?"

Roland laughed and puffed out his chest. "Would you like to see my muscles?" Without an answer, Roland lifted both arms to his side.

Regina pinched his arms, acting like she was sizing muscles. "Wow! Such a strong, big boy." Regina said. Her eyes were sad, and her heart tugged as she thought of the wonderful child sitting on her lap.

"Daddy, me, Emma, and Killie are having waffles!" Roland bragged.

"Well, no wonder you've become such a strong boy." Regina said, tousling his hair.

Roland nodded, but his face suddenly dropped. "Mama said I can't come to your house anymore. But I want to sleep in the big boy bed!"

Regina, not knowing how to respond, just said, "How is your mother?"

Roland looked around, suddenly aware for the first time that she wasn't with them. He hadn't even thought to look for her because he was so used to it being just him and Robin. "Where is she?" he asked Regina.

Robin finally came over to the table and knelt in front the pair. "I apologize, milady." He said to Regina before turning to his boy. "Roland, you can't just come running over here and bothering people."

"But I miss Gina!" Roland said, not understanding.

Robin nodded. "I miss her too, son, but we still can't disturb people. She is here to have a nice breakfast, and we need to respect that."

Roland frowned as tears came to his eyes. "I… Just… Wanted… To… See… Gina…" Roland cried, taking shallow breaths between each word.

Regina's soul was tearing apart watching the little boy. She was so furious at Robin and her mind filled with revenge that she hadn't stopped to think of Roland, whom she had come to care about deeply. She took her thumb and started rubbing the tears away from his face and brought her other hand up to his hair to pat his head.

Robin picked up Roland from underneath his armpits and brought him to his side. "I'm sorry, Regina," he said, dipping his head towards the woman he loved. "I think our waffles are almost here, Roland. Say bye to Gina."

Roland, still sniffing, waved goodbye to her. "Have a good breakfast, Roland," Regina replied.

Regina watched Robin carry Roland back to their table as Ruby brought them their food. She watched his eyes light up as the waffle was set down in front of him. Regina took a big sigh before looking at the people across from them, noticing an empty seat.

Emma sat alone on her side, talking to Roland and Robin and starting her meal. Regina saw an empty seat next to her, the food waiting patiently for whomever was supposed to eat it.

Regina's face grew into an evil smile, knowing exactly where Hook was.

* * *

While Robin and Roland were by Regina, Killian turned towards Emma. "Emma, love, please excuse me. I need to… um… use the restroom." Killian gave Emma's hand a big squeeze under the table before sliding out and walking to where the woman had passed just minutes before.

The woman was leaning against the wall, waiting for him. "Took you long enough," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the men's bathroom.

Once they were inside, the woman pinned him up against the door while locking it. "Milah? Is that you?" Killian asked, tipping his head to the side and staring at her.

Milah started caressing his chest, bringing her head in towards his ear. "Who else would it be?" she whispered, bringing her lips to touch the shell of his ear.

Killian shivered before responding. "I… You… You're dead?" His face screwed up at how ineloquent his sentence was.

Milah slid her hands down to his hips. "Does it look like I'm dead?" Milah asked, brushing her hands over his stomach before making their way back up his chest. She brushed her lips across his, without actually kissing him, saying, "I'm very much alive."

Killian tried to back up, but wasn't able to move between the door and Milah. Milah turned and walked further into the bathroom, swaying her hips before turning to face him again. Killian surveyed her before saying, "Are you wearing Emma's clothes?"

Even without her heart, Milah felt a sting of jealousy before starting to play dumb. "Who's Emma?" She leaned against the wall, looking at him, waiting to find out what he would say.

"She's… umm… someone I know."

"Well," she stepped forward. "You sure do know her wardrobe pretty well if she is just _someone you know._"

Killian stepped away from the door, circling away from where she was standing. "She, uh, wears the red jacket often. She's kind of known for wearing it."

Milah looked down at her sleeves. "_This_ red jacket?"

He didn't respond.

"I'm a little hot." Milah fanned herself pathetically with her hand. She started to take off the leather jacket and threw it at Killian, which he caught easily. He could now see her full figure, reminding him of their time at sea all those years ago.

A knock came from the door behind them. "Killian? Are you alright?" he heard Emma's muffled voice coming from the other side of the door. She jiggled the handle, unable to open the locked door.

Milah smiled as Killian dropped the jacket like hot lava and ran over to Milah, slapping a hand over her mouth and pushing her up against the wall. "I'm fine, love. I'll be back in a minute."

"Are you sure?"

Milah started licking Killian's rings before giving his palm a little nip. He jumped and yelped at the bite, loud enough for Emma to hear. She jiggled the handle again. "Yes, Swan. I'll be right there."

"Okay." Emma said, Killian silent as he listened to her footsteps walk away.

"Was that the infamous Emma?" Milah asked, pushing herself away from under his grip and walking towards the mirror.

"We're just having breakfast," Killian didn't know why he was explaining anything to her, why he felt guilty. He looked towards the door before turning back to her. "I need to get back…"

"Leaving so soon?" Milah gave him a seductive smile.

Killian ran towards the door, attempting to avoid her gaze. "Stay here for three minutes after I leave," he ordered as he unlocked the door and peeked his head out to see if the coast was clear. He slipped out of the bathroom before walking back to the booth.

He felt like a zombie as he sat down with his the three people he was sharing a booth with. Roland started talking about his waffles, taking a big sip of milk before starting up again, Robin was staring in the distance, clearly looking at Regina.

Emma was watching Killian, her face frowning. He turned his head towards Emma and attempted to give her a smile. "I need to go." Killian said, sliding out of the booth again and nearly running out the door.

The bell rang as the door slammed shut, and Emma turned back to Robin and Roland. "Thank you for a wonderful breakfast, Roland. I hope we can do it again sometime." Roland was too entranced by his food to notice her leaving, so she waved goodbye to Robin and sprinted out the door after him.

When she was outside, she looked both to her left and right, but Killian was nowhere to be found. She pouted, confused by his sudden change of behavior. When she couldn't find him, she turned towards Mary Margaret's apartment. She wanted to talk about her night with Killian and her promise to talk to Regina with someone, and her chat with her mother had been successful the last time.

Although concerned about him, Emma couldn't help but smile to herself when she thought of Killian.


	11. Chapter 11

Emma stopping in the middle of the street, halfway to her parent's apartment. _What am I doing?_ She thought. _Am I really planning to talk to my mom about last night?_

Emma shook her head, immediately changing her mind. There was a knot in the pit of her stomach, though, and she wanted to talk about it with someone. _But who?_

She knew she didn't want to talk about it with Ruby because she would want more details than Emma was really willing to give. She didn't feel like she knew Belle enough to feel comfortable enough talking to her about her sex life (and she really, _really_ didn't want any information on her and Mr. Gold's relationship). She racked her brain to come up with the perfect person to discuss it with when it hit her.

Tinkerbelle.

Tinkerbelle had always supported her relationship with Killian. She's known Killian longer than anyone else here (with the exception of Rumpelstiltskin or Mr. Smee), and she also has a difficult relationship with Regina. Tinkerbelle was the perfect person. She just needed to find her.

It wasn't too difficult, since Tink was staying at Granny's Bed and Breakfast, as well. She needed to ask which room she was in – she knew she wasn't on the floor Killian or Emma were staying on – but she had seen her in the entryway too many times for it just to be a coincidence.

Turning around, she strolled back along Main Street until she made it to the Bed and Breakfast, going up to the main desk and tapping the bell. A woman she did not know came out, asking, "May I help you?"

"Yes, I'm wondering what room Tinkerbelle is staying in?" Emma asked back.

The woman took her finger and scrolled down a large book that had room numbers next to names on the page. She fell upon a name three-quarters of the way down the page before saying, "204."

"Thanks!" Emma said as she walked over to the staircase to find her way to Tinkerbelle's room.

Once there, she knocked four times and tapped her toes impatiently, waiting for the door to open. She heard a muffled voice cry out, "I don't need the room cleaned today, thanks." Emma laughed while she knocked again, this time more forcefully. She heard some scrambling on the other side before she opened the door. "Oh, Emma. I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, sorry to just stop by. If you're busy, I can just go…" Emma hitched her thumb out of a fist, pointing behind her.

"No, no. Come on in." Tink put her hand on Emma's back and guided her into the pixie's motel room. "Please, sit. I'm sorry I'm not decent." Tinkerbelle was still wearing her green pajama pants and a white tank top.

Emma flicked her wrist. "Don't worry about it. I'm only dressed because I went out for breakfast this morning with Killian." Tinkerbelle tilted her head in curiosity, but didn't press on it.

The room was set up differently than the ones on the third floor that she, Killian, and the Locksleys' were staying in. This one had a twin size bed, but instead of a table and chairs, there was a loveseat and a coffee table. Emma slid off her shoes and walked over to one of the cushions of the couch, Tinkerbelle following close behind her to sit on the other one.

"So what's up, Emma?" Tink asked, smiling. "You obviously didn't come over here just to check out my room."

Emma chuckled. "No, I did have some things on my mind and I thought you would be the best person to talk to about it."

"I'm all ears, dear."

Emma shifted in her seat, suddenly very self conscious and unsure if she really did want to talk. Taking a deep breath, everything spilled out of her mouth at once. "Well, I've been staying over at Killian's a lot lately. I've been having some trouble sleeping, and for some reason I can only sleep when he's near me. And last night, I made a deal with him, and now I have to talk to Regina about the Marian and Robin situation, after I slept with him."

Tinkerbelle punched Emma in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" Emma started rubbing where she was just hit, her face growing in anger and starting to regret her decision to come here.

"Because Hook is my friend and I don't want you hurting him!" Tinkerbelle's voice was firm.

Emma shook her head. "I have no clue what you're talking about, Tink!"

Tinkerbelle stood up and started walking around her room in front of Emma. "I've known him for a long time, Emma, and I have never seen him love someone as much as he loves you. I know that you don't commit well and that you don't let people in, something that Hook wants in a companion. But then you have sex with him? Emma, that is such an intimate thing to do with someone, especially if one party is emotionally attached. What were you thinking? He's going to get the wrong idea, and I care about him too much to see you hurt him with your abandonment issues." Emma's bottom lip began to tremble, listening to her words. Tinkerbelle saw this, but continued on anyway. "I know him. He would have never been the first one to make the move, especially when it came to you, Emma. And that means _you_ initiated it. You can't tell me you don't know how much he loves you. Why would you do that?"

Emma looked down at her hands, suddenly ashamed with herself. Her voice quieted and she stumbled over her words. "I don't know…"

"What?" Tinkerbelle hadn't heard what Emma said.

Emma started talking a little louder. "Ever since coming back from the past with Killian, I've had trouble sleeping at night. The first night, I was drunk, and so I just thought I wandered over there and passed out on his bed. But, then two nights ago, I couldn't sleep, and I walked over to his room and asked to stay with him. Last night, the same thing happened, and I had planned on just going over to sleep. But then we ended up having sex. I didn't plan on it, it just kind of happened."

Tinkerbelle's face softened slightly, listening to what she was saying.

"I'm not stupid, Tink. I know what that all means." Emma said, finally looking back up at her. "I know why I can only sleep well when he's around, and I know why I slept with him."

"Then tell me." Tinkerbelle crossed her arms, waiting for Emma's response.

"I can't. I just… Tinkerbelle, I can't."

"And that's why you shouldn't have slept with him." Tinkerbelle walked over to the couch to sit by her again, stopping by the fridge to get Emma some ice for her shoulder. "If you can't admit to me your feelings, if you can't admit to yourself your feelings, you weren't ready for that step."

Emma held up the ice to her shoulder, tears now welling in her eyes. "I love him, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"

"No! Emma, I don't want you to just say it to humor me. I want you to understand your feelings for him. He's the reason why you couldn't sleep at night. He's the reason why you feel bad about sleeping together. He's the reason why you agreed to talk to Regina. Do you think you would have agreed to it if anyone else asked?"

"No, Tinkerbelle, stop. I don't feel bad about sleeping with him because I do love him. I came over here, really excited to tell you about it and how wonderful it was, how loved I felt, how we fit together perfectly. I wanted to share with someone how it felt to finally give myself to him. And I chose you because I thought you'd understand most out of anybody else. I know you assisted in some way with Regina finding true love, and I had hoped you would help me, too."

"I can't help you because you'd deny anything I said. I feel bad for you, Emma, because you could be so happy and you refuse to allow it."

"So you were willing to help Regina, but not me? You're the only other person I know who has been in my situation and I—"

"What does that mean? I've never slept with Hook!" Tinkerbelle interrupted.

Emma stopped, looking at her. "You didn't? I just thought…"

"Goodness, no! He and I were allies against Pan in Neverland. We had no romantic feelings for one another, whatsoever. You visited Neverland, Emma. It's not a very romantic place that makes you want to do intimate things with someone."

Emma sucked in her breath, her cheeks slightly turning pink at the thought of their first kiss behind the bushes in Neverland. "Look, I didn't come over here to fight with you. I honestly just wanted to talk about it with someone, and I see I made a mistake coming here."

Emma started to stand up, putting the ice on the table, but Tinkerbelle pushed her back down. "No you didn't. I'm sorry, Hook's just one of my oldest friends and I hate seeing him hurt, especially with all the heartbreak he's had in his life." Tinkerbelle took a deep breath before closing her eyes and opening them again. "So tell me. What did you want to talk about first? Hook or Regina?"

Emma thought for a second. "I think we've talked about Killian enough for one day."

Tinkerbelle smiled, "I think you're right. Which leaves us with Regina."

"I'm not really sure what to say to her. Killian wants me to talk to her about it Marian, but I don't know if it's a good idea. I know you knew her pretty well at one point. What do you think?"

"I think she'll be more receptive than you think. I have always believed there is good in her, and I've seen it, you've seen it!" Tinkerbelle said.

"I've also seen her lash out, especially when it's because she's heartbroken." Emma countered. "I don't think she is going to accept a simple apology."

"You don't know that. She might be waiting in her house for you to come over and talk to her about it right now, for all we know. Have you thought about what you might say?"

Emma thought for a second. "I was debating how I wanted to bring it up, and thought that maybe talking about Henry's custody would be the best starting point?"

Tinkerbelle shook her head. "The last thing you want to do is remind her that she has to share her son with you. I'll admit that she has accepted it, but making her think of losing both Henry and Robin would probably tear her apart."

"Then what should I say?" Emma asked.

"Talk with your heart. Tell her you couldn't leave Marian behind. You don't have to put Regina down in the conversation to be able to tell her you had to save Marian. I wouldn't say anything about it being Regina's fault that you had to save her."

Emma nodded, showing her understanding.

"Now, I have to ask. How did Hook get you to agree to talk to Regina?" Tinkerbelle asked.

"I told him that I would talk about Regina with him if he would show me his arm without the brace and hook." Emma said.

Tinkerbelle's eyes widened. "He actually showed it to you?"

"I mean, I had already seen it from the previous night, but he kept trying to hide it from me then. So I told him I'd talk if he talked first. I didn't think he would agree so quickly."

"You… You wanted to see it?" Tink asked.

"I want _him_ to be able to accept it, and I know he won't unless he thinks others can," Emma replied. "And I think I am the person he wants to accept it the most. He refuses to believe it, just because so many haven't in the past."

She leaned over and hugged Emma, tightly. "I believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That you love him." Tinkerbelle sat back again. "Even if you don't, I believe it."

* * *

Milah and Regina were sitting on a bench in the park. Regina was half spying on Henry while talking to her. She put a cloaking spell around them so that they could talk without anyone noticing them.

"You haven't kissed him yet, right? It's not time yet." Regina said.

"No, I think he was more taken aback that I was there and wasn't really focused on it. I think he was also afraid that Emma girl was going to catch us in there together." She turned to face her master. "He really loves her. I see it in his eyes."

Regina waved her hand, as if knocking the words away from her. "I don't care if he loves her. I only care if she loves him. And if he still loves you. Nothing is going to work unless she is so vulnerable that taking him away is going to destroy her."

Milah smiled. "I want nothing more than that. To have Killian back? She's just in my way."

"I knew taking your heart out was a good idea. You've become much easier to manage." Regina chuckled. Her eyes glistened as she saw Henry laughing and running around, Neal sleeping in the stroller while David threw another shot with his sword. Henry pretended to fall down, as if the shot had really gotten him.

Milah looked at the two playing. "I wish I hadn't missed out on that." Her smile was a thing of the past as she thought about how she abandoned her only son. "Maybe when I get Killian back, we can start a family."

Regina nodded. "It's the most wonderful thing in the world."

"Are you going to try to get Robin back?" Milah asked, spreading out on the bench. "Have a family with the three of you?"

"Four." Regina said simply, including Roland in the numbers. She started rubbing a tear away from her. "And no. I've done terrible things – I'm doing terrible things. Having love in my life has never been in the cards for me."

Milah sighed and patted her knees. "Well, at least you have Henry."

Regina nodded. "At least I have Henry," she repeated, without much heart in her words. Henry finally loved her back, but now she had to share him with the Charmings.

"_If I was meant to be truly happy, it would have already happened by now," _she thought.

* * *

Killian couldn't keep still. He went back to his room at Granny's and tried staying in one place, but he would weave through pacing the room, sitting with a restless leg, and he even found himself bouncing in place a couple times. He was walking around the room while grazing the silver of his hook before he cut himself, blood dripping from his wrist and splashing onto the white carpet.

He quickly pulled the hand to his shirt and walked over to the faucet, turning it on until water streamed over the wound. His face crinkled at the harsh feeling, but enjoyed the pain, because it took his mind off of the two things he didn't want to think of.

Milah.

And Emma.

His brain could not wrap its mind around the idea that Milah was in Storybrooke. She has been dead for years – he knew it because it drove him to do unspeakable things. He became a person he didn't like, and he was finally starting to change.

It was Emma, the light in his life at the end of the dark path he has taken for so long. He loved her so much. He loved the way she touched him, loved the way she kissed him, loved the way she made him a better man. An honorable man. And Milah coming back only complicated things.

Because he loved Milah, too. Even after 300 years, he still remembered being an unscrupulous man with her, and he had fun. He enjoyed his life of piracy, and there were times that he missed it.

But then his mind drifted back to Emma, and he was reminded of the life he had now. One where he went on adventures and saved people, instead of being the one to destroy them. He also loved domestic life, much more than he thought he ever could. And he loved the security he had, knowing where and when he would be able to eat and sleep.

However, Milah provided him with spontaneity. He liked not knowing what he was going to do, that every day there was a new escapade he got to participate in.

Emma would float back, and he thought of her golden hair flowing down her back, her unique red jacket that complimented her skin tone perfectly. He could almost feel the satin touch of her hands on his body, imagining the goosebumps her fingers left as it stroked up and down him.

And it contrasted with Milah's rough skin, tanned from the sun, that tickled his skin when she touched it. The corset that made her body curve in the right way, and the brown, curly hair that somehow always flowed perfectly around her face.

So instead of thinking about the two women, he kept his hand under the water, so these thoughts could be taken as far away from his brain as possible.

The sink was becoming stained with red. He brought his hand away from the water and looked. The cut was deeper than he thought, hitting a major artery, and he could tell there was nothing he was going to be able to do as a home remedy to stop the bleeding. He took a pillowcase from the bed and wrapped it around his palm the best he could with his teeth and hook. He then held it into his vest as he started to get ready to leave for Storybrooke Hospital.

The pillowcase strip was covered in his blood now, and he was starting to feel drowsy from the constant flow of blood. He could tell he had lost a lot by now, and he had only made it to the bed before falling to the floor. He didn't even feel the hard floor when the back of his head hit it, causing him to completely black out.

After leaving Tinkerbelle's, she went up a flight until she was on her own floor. But, instead of going to her room, she found herself standing in front of Killian's door instead. She knocked on it, waiting for the shuffling that usually occurred when she knocked.

There was no answer.

She knocked again, louder this time, thinking he might just be sleeping.

But, for the second time in a row, no one answered.

"Killian?" she asked, grabbing the handle. Seeing that it was unlocked, she opened the door and looked around.

The sink was flowing. She went over to it to turn it off, only to see the entire bowl was a deep crimson. There were drips along the counter that her eyes followed, then on the floor. She took step after step, walking along the red trail until she made it over to the bed, where she found an unconscious pirate lying above a red-stained carpet.

Emma ran over to him, shaking him. "Killian, wake up. Can you hear me?" He was still breathing, but there were no signs of him opening his eyes anytime soon. She reached into her back pocket to call the paramedics, and within minutes, he was being put onto a gurney and hauled across town to Storybrooke Hospital.

Emma could barely breath. She ran out to her yellow bug and rushed to the hospital, using her police light so she could stop traffic to get there faster.

Once at the hospital, she sprinted to the front desk, asking for Killian's room. When she was given it, she flew up the stairs, ignoring the elevator completely, until she came upon the room her father spent 28 years unconscious in.

Emma looked through the window as she saw the doctors and nurses hook him up to ventilators, heart monitors, blood transfusions, and clear liquids. Her eyes started to water as she watched everything, and soon the commotion stopped.

Dr. Whale came out. Emma stopped him. "How is he? Is he going to be okay?" The same question was being repeated over and over from her mouth in different ways.

Dr. Whale put a hand on each shoulder. "Emma, Emma. He's fine. He had just lost a lot of blood. He's all hooked up and it's only a matter of time before he wakes up."

Emma started breathing again, hesitantly. "Can I go in there?" she asked, sheepishly, not looking at the doctor. Instead, she was looking through the window and making sure his chest was still rising and falling. Dr. Whale only nodded and patted her shoulder twice before walking away.

She wobbled into the room, her legs numb, and sat in the chair closest to his bed. She grabbed his handless arm and held the stump in both of her hands, waiting and pleading for him to wake up.

* * *

Roland was sitting on Robin's shoulders. They were walking down Main Street and were about to go back into the woods when Roland spotted his mother. "Mama!" he shouted, pointing at Marian on a bench by herself.

Robin didn't know how to get out of going over there after Roland saw her, so he walked over and put him down on the ground to let him run ahead to her. Robin reluctantly followed until he was standing beside them.

"Daddy and Emma and Killie and me went to breakfast. Daddy and I got waffles! It tasted delicious." Roland was telling her all about his morning while Marian looked at him with sad eyes, nodding at every sentence he said.

Robin's breath hitched at the next thing he heard his son say. "And Gina was there!"

Marian looked at Robin with hateful eyes before turning back to her son. "Oh, was she?"

"Ya! She sitted way across the restaurant, and I saw her and runned over there. Can I show you her house sometime soon, Mama?" Roland asked.

"I don't know." Marian looked at Robin. "I think we need to ask Daddy. Are we going over to her house?"

A fire was now burning in Robin's stomach. He had spent all morning tearing his son away from Regina, and now Marian was trying pin it off onto him. His loathing for her return was growing with each passing second. "I'm not sure. Do you want to go there?" Robin asked, turning it back onto her.

Marian put Roland on the ground and stood up, walking closer to her husband. "I think it's Daddy's decision." Marian so close to Robin that he could see every line in her face.

Robin had become so infuriated he had given any sense of politeness he had left. "Yes, Roland. Let's go visit her."

Roland jumped. "Yay!" he yelled as he danced around.

Marian leaned back. "If my son goes by that woman one more time, I am taking full custody of him, and I will never let you see him again."

Robin started to walk away from her, shaking his head and steadying his voice, making it quiet enough so their son wouldn't hear him. "I wish you never came back, Marian." He fully turned around and grabbed his son's hand. "Say goodbye to Mama," he directed.

Roland waved and skipped off, holding his father's hand. "Bye, Mama!" he yelled, turning back to face forward as they got to the edge of the woods.

"Bye, Roland." Marian said quietly as she watched her family walk away from her, fading into the woods.

* * *

_**A/N: **I am so anxious to write the next chapter, and I know you all are going to love it! I promise that the next chapter is going to be beyond amazing._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long to update. I had about 2/3 of it done, but had a little bit of a writers block. Enjoy the chapter! Rumbelle's back!

* * *

"_I am taking full custody of him, and I will never let you see him again."_

The words kept ringing in Robin's ears as he and Roland tread through the woods. He looked down at his son, oblivious to everything going on between his parents and looking at birds that were flying between trees. He hoped that Marian's threats were empty, but the thought of him losing his son to _her_ was tearing him apart.

Robin found a fallen down tree and picked Roland up, setting him up on it and kneeling down until they were eye level. Roland smiled at his dad, giving him a toothy grin and swinging his legs.

Robin's eyes, filled with water, brought his hand up to Roland's face and started stroking his cheek with his thumb. "Daddy loves you, Roland." Roland's features were dropping at Robin's concerned face. "Daddy loves you so much, you know that, right?" Roland looked confused, but nodded in response.

Roland leaned forward, grabbing his father's neck in a tight squeeze. "I love you too, Daddy!"

Robin brought his hands around Roland's back and hugged him tighter. "Daddy loves you so much," Robin kept repeating the words over and over again, refusing to let his son go as his whole face was wet with his tears.

There was nothing Marian could say or do that would take Roland away from him. He would never let that happen.

But he couldn't bring himself to let go of his son. Even imagining losing Roland was too much to bear.

So he did the only thing he could think.

He would have to ask Regina for help.

* * *

It was dark out, and Killian had yet to wake up. The only way Emma even believed he was still alive was because she still saw his chest rise and fall every few seconds. There were long pauses in between some, and those made her chest tighten, it made her hold her own breath until his started going again.

She sat there for six hours, not wanting him to wake up without someone there to greet him. She texted Mary Margaret and thanked her for keeping Henry for another night, feeling guilty that, for the fourth night in a row, she wasn't going to have Henry safe with her.

But at the same time, all she could think about was how he hadn't opened his eyes for six hours, and it didn't look like he was going to open them any time soon.

Regina hung up the phone, nearly jumping in glee from the news she just heard. Storybrooke gossip traveled fast, and the news that Killian was in the hospital was just getting to her.

It was time.

She took a deep breath and went to Milah's room, opening the door and turning on the lights, brighter than they are supposed to go. Milah crinkled her eyes, covering them with her hand to block out the newly lit room.

"What are you doing?" Milah grumbled from under her hand.

"Get up. You're going to get Hook back, tonight," Regina pulled the covers off of her, remembering the times she had to do that exact thing to make Henry go to school.

At that, Milah shot up, a smile creeping across her face. "Really?" She started to stand up.

"Yes. He's in the hospital, so let's get going." Regina waved her hand until Milah was in another replica of Emma's outfits – this time the blue ruffled shirt, black pants, and black heels that she had worn to Cora's séance.

Milah looked down at herself and back up and Regina. "Is this another one of her outfits?" When Regina nodded, she continued. "I wish she dressed more like that Belle girl. The outfits I had to wear for her were a lot more comfortable."

Regina walked over to her friend and put an arm around her shoulder, guiding her out of the room. "In only due time you'll get to dress however you want. Until you get Hook to leave her, though, you'll have to dress like Emma."

Regina and Milah entered the elevator. Milah looked around the small box, afraid to get in at first, but after Regina nearly forced her in, they were on the floor that Killian was staying on. When the door opened, they rounded the corner to a big room with six empty beds in it. Behind it, there was an enclosed room with glass windows to the ceiling so you could see everything completely. Milah and Regina could easily see Emma's back, sitting next to Killian's bed with her head looking down.

Regina pulled Milah until they were crouched behind one of the beds. "So, that's Emma?" Milah asked, tilting her head and whispering. "I want to know what she looks like."

"You will soon enough. If everything goes to plan, you'll see her face by the end of the night."

"What do we do now?" Milah asked.

"We wait until Emma leaves." Regina replied.

"And when will that be?"

"Well, she has to use the restroom at some point. It's only a matter of time."

A half hour later, Milah was sitting on the floor, twirling her thumbs while Regina still spied on the couple. Emma was starting to get antsy, her right foot rising and falling quickly, until finally she stood up. She whispered something to Hook before kissing his forehead, and she walked out of the glass box and down the hall.

"Okay, we only have about three minutes. You remember the plan?" Regina asked. "Remember, when you hear a crash from out here, count to three, and then it's time."

Milah, too excited to wait any longer, stood up from behind the bed and started walking to wear Killian was lying. She slid the door open and shut it behind her.

Killian heard a sharp _clash_, and something in him changed because he jerked at the noise. His head was throbbing as he lifted his right hand to touch the tender spot on the back of his head. He could feel a bump forming, and he groaned at the feeling.

Killian started to open his eyes slowly. His vision was completely blurry, and he could barely see anything other than shapes. When he looked above him he saw the florescent light shining around someone like a halo, watching him. He smiled, groggily. "Emma…" he whispered, not having enough strength to say it any louder.

Milah tensed at the name, feeling rejected that she was not who he first called for, but pushed it to the back of her mind to continue on with Regina's plan. She leaned forward until she was closer to him. He took a deep breath and suddenly a scent he hadn't smelled in years filled his nose. He coughed twice before squinting, trying to see whom it was.

She reached out and brushed her fingers across his rough cheek, smiling at him like she used to on the Jolly Roger. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Milah?" His heart dropped. He couldn't decide if he was glad to see her or disappointed that it wasn't Emma standing above him. Killian looked around, suddenly aware of his surroundings. "How did I get here?"

"I found you unconscious, and I brought you here," Milah lied, now stroking his hair.

Killian's brain filled with the memory of his hooked accident and looked down at his left hand. Both the hook and brace were off, and he quickly hid it under the covers, feeling self conscious about his stump. He looked at his other wrist and saw a bandage wrapped around it to nearly his mid-arm. He turned back to look at Milah, standing before him. "Thank you," he said. "It seems that I owe you my life."

Milah nodded, still stroking his black hair, messy from all the medical procedures going on. "I almost thought I lost you. I'm so glad I got there in time."

Killian's eyes were fully focused now, and started to look her up and down. "Are you wearing one of Emma's outfit again?"

Milah stopped moving for a second, irritated that he was thinking of her. "Do you not like it?" She asked in her most innocent voice. She brushed her sleeves before looking back at him. "I love the feeling of this material." She reached over and graced the sleeve over his cheek.

Killian looked up into Milah's eyes and jumped when something fell outside the room, hitting the floor with a loud _bang_.

He started to turn his head before Milah grabbed both cheeks, forcing him to look at her. A few seconds later, Milah started bringing his face up to her's, until their lips touched in the middle.

The kiss was something Killian remembered, even though it had been 300 years. He still remembered how her bottom lip felt when it brushed his and the way her tongue danced alongside it. It was easy and familiar. It was something he had dreamed of feeling for so long. But something changed. Even though it was the same, he didn't like the feeling anymore.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp and the sound of a mug dropping, liquid spilling all over the floor and ceramic breaking in pieces. Then, faint footsteps running away, until they were gone. Milah still held him up to her face, ignoring the sound.

Killian's mind started racing and took both his hand and stump to push Milah off of him. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he started ripping cords off of him. The red bag that a tube was inserted into caused him to scream loudly in pain, but he ignored it as he stood up, holding the bed for balance. "What in god's name…" he started walking towards the door, his feet wobbly. He realized he wasn't going to be able to walk by himself, and found pieces of furniture to hold onto with each step. "Emma!" he yelled to the empty hall.

He finally was able to leave the glass room and find the first bed in the great room. Milah easily walked in front of him before stopping him. "Where are you going?"

Weak, he shrugged his shoulder out of her reach and continued to pathetically wobble out of the room. "I need to find Emma."

Milah was infuriated by Killian's obsession with her. "Are you serious? Killian, she'll never love you like I do." He stopped where he stood and turned his head to face her, his eyes watering. Deep in his heart, Killian still thought he was not good enough for Emma, despite her words. Milah, seeing the hesitation in his eyes, walked over to him and set him on the bed. "I love you. She doesn't," she tilted her head to the left. "Why can't you see that she doesn't care for you? Why can't you see that I do?"

The doubt was starting to wash over him. He was a pirate, a villain, and evil. He couldn't change for the better. Emma didn't accept him for the lowlife he was, the man who was not honorable. He looked at Milah, the woman whom he loved, and who loved him back just as he was.

Milah started to lean down again to start another kiss, but Killian was refusing to take it. With every ounce of energy he had, which had drained a lot since taking out all the tubes, Killian turned his head away from her. He could feel himself falling to the ground, feel his arms and legs and body go numb, before crashing on the floor. He was lying on his stomach, his right cheek on the cold tiles, his eyes staring at the exit, blinking in an attempt to bring Emma back to him.

Instead, he felt two strong hands grab each side of his body and hoist him up, dragging him back to the bed and lying him down in it. Milah covered him up with a blanket and pressed a button that said, "Call nurse." She leaned down until her mouth was close to his ear. "I love you, Killian. You've spent 300 years revenging my death. Why would you throw it all away?" She then turned and walked out of the room, turning the corner a minute before his eyesight went black, suddenly feeling hands on his body sticking needles back into him.

* * *

Emma's chest felt like it was going to rip apart, the air no longer flowing through it. She ran through the hallways, not sure where she planned to go. She found herself running towards a back stairway and throwing the door open, climbing the stairs two at a time. Once she made it up nearly five flights of stairs, she reentered the hospital and looked where she was.

There were lots of separate rooms, all closed doors. She snuck up to one and knocked. There was no answer, and she knew it must be empty. She pushed on the handle, trying to get in, but it was locked. She looked around until she found a safety pin tucked underneath a basket of used hospital gowns and picked the lock.

It was a small empty room, completely white and overly cleaned, like hospital rooms usually were, with a reclining bed, a single chair, and a TV hung on the wall. Emma closed the door behind her, relocking it, and walked over to the bed, lying down on it.

This is what she gets for letting her heart out again. This is what she gets for letting her walls down. This is what she gets for sleeping with him before they were ready. She didn't know who the woman was or how she knew Hook was in the hospital, but he was a pirate. And once a pirate, always a pirate.

Emma took a breath, trying to calm her body down. It was shallow, and caused her to whimper. Tears were boiling in her eyes.

It was decided. She was never going to let anyone in again. Ever. It only caused her too much heartache, and took away all the courage she thought she had. She would move away, farther than even Boston, and forget about this life. All she needed was Henry and she would be okay.

Emma put her hands up to her face. She hated that she always ran away, that it was her solution to everything. But the pain that was searing in her chest? She hated that even more. It hurt her even more. And so it was easier to run than to stay with the pain.

She would leave in two days, after she had a chance to spend a last day with Mary Margaret and David and giving Henry a chance to say goodbye to Regina.

Her pocket started to vibrate, and Emma was tempted to take it out and throw it across the room, hoping it would break into a million pieces. But it could be Henry or her mother with an emergency, so instead she took it out.

It was a blocked number. Emma huffed quickly and clicked the ignore button. She placed it on her chest, rested her hands on her stomach, and looked at the ceiling, counting the little specks that were above her.

A _ding_ sounded, and Emma knew that whoever called had just left a message. Rolling her eyes, she picked up her phone and pressed the play button, putting it on speaker so she didn't have to hold it up to her ear.

_Hello, Emma. This is Dr. Whale from Storybrooke Hospital. I'm calling to let you know that Hook's vitals have dropped severely. It looks like he tried to leave his room and it caused him to blackout again. As his emergency contact, we need you to come in to authorize some testing and a surgery we need to do. This is urgent and need you here as soon as possible. Thank you._

Emma dropped it out of her hand like it was too hot for her to handle. Part of her really didn't want to go. He could go ask the girl he was kissing for authorization, he didn't need her. He never needed Emma, and she never needed him. He could go fuck himself for all she cared.

Was she actually debating not going?

She jumped up and grabbed her phone, quickly running to the door and swinging it open. A nurse walked by, giving her a weird look, but Emma just ran past her to the stairway, nearly jumping down flights of stairs at the time. She came to Killian's floor and shuttled into his glass box, nurses frantically working around Killian, whose heart monitor was buzzing at an alarmingly high rate. Emma's hand instinctively came up to her mouth, her eyes wide and her lips trembling. Dr. Whale came out of the room and brought her papers, starting to explain the procedures he wanted to do. She wasn't listening, only signing everything before he was done explaining the first page and telling him to start whatever he needed to do.

Killian was then wheeled out of the room on his bed. It felt like slow motion watching him leave. Emma fell into the chair she spent her whole day in. She didn't know what to do, what to think. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk. So she sat there, waiting for whatever news would come about Killian.

She closed her eyes, torn between hating him and loving him, being scared for him and hoping he was suffering.

* * *

Regina _poofed_ Milah and herself back to the big mansion. Regina's face was beaming with self pride as Milah walked through the house. She was slightly irritated with the whole situation right now, frustrated that Killian was ignoring and denying her advances. He was never one to refuse her.

Regina patted Milah's back and started to clap slowly. "Well done, Milah. Well done." Milah looked at her, hatred burning in her eyes. Not hatred for Regina, per se, but hatred nonetheless.

"What are you talking about? That was a disaster! He nearly knocked me out trying to get out of my hands!" she cried.

"Oh, what was supposed to happen definitely happened. You should have seen Emma's face when she saw the two of you kissing," Regina smiled to herself. "I forgot how amazing it feels to do something like this."

"Well, I hate it. All he cares about is that Emma girl, like he's forgotten I even exist."

A knock came at the door, followed by the doorbell. It was much too late for visitors, and Regina didn't know who could want to visit at this hour. "Go to your room," she ordered. When Milah ignored the direction, Regina waved her hand and Milah was gone. "Idiot," she mumbled to herself while she started to strut towards the door.

She opened it to see Robin, puffy faced and sporting a frown, holding a very tired Roland. "May we came in?" Robin asked.

Regina's body melted as she let the two boys in. "Gina!" Roland yelled sleepily as Robin put him down. He walked up to her, grasping her around her legs and looking up at her.

"Hello, Roland. It's much past your bedtime," Regina said, turning back to the man standing in the doorway.

"Can he stay here the night?" Robin croaked, his voice unsteady and on the verge of crying.

Regina nodded. "Of course," she said, out of concern more than desire for letting them stay. "Roland, why don't you go up to the big boy bed and I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in." Roland let go of her, running towards the stairs and climbing the large staircase slowly. Regina watched him leave before turning back to Robin. "Why are you here?"

Robin only shook his head, his whole body shaking as water poured out of his eyes. Sadness overcame Regina's face before she turned to follow Roland up the stairs and into Henry's room.

Robin walked over to the kitchen, sitting at the table and waiting for Regina. He didn't have to wait long because Regina was back in no time. "He's sleeping," she said before crossing the room and sitting diagonally from him.

"Already?" Wonder overcame his face as he stared at the woman. She had put Roland to sleep within minutes, something Marian hadn't been able to do for the past few days. He loved her so much, and each day he grew more in awe of her.

"He didn't have his monkey which made it a little more difficult, but otherwise, he fell asleep right away." Robin reached his hand over to cover Regina's before she pulled it away. "What are you doing here, Robin? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you."

"Marian said she was going to take custody of Roland away from me," he choked out. The thought stung as much as it had when Marian first said it. "I didn't know what to do, so I came here."

"What do you expect me to do?" Regina snapped back. Seeing Robin's face morph into a cross between fear and devastation, Regina stood up and sat down in the chair directly next to him, forcing herself to put her hand back on top of his to provide him the physical contact he so desperately wanted. "How can I help?" she asked in a more soothing tone.

Robin looked up with saddened eyes. "What did you do with Henry?"

Regina stiffened, taking a sharp intake before starting. "Storybrooke isn't known for its most _legal_ policies when it comes to custody of children. Emma swooped in and took him from me, and everybody just let it happened. We eventually came to a joint custody _agreement_, for lack of a better term, and it has made Henry happier, knowing he has both Emma and me to love him." Regina shook her head. "I am not particularly fond of sharing my legal child with her, but there isn't much I can do."

"I'm afraid of that," Robin confessed. "I'm worried they are going to take Roland away from me, and he is the person that matters most to me in this world." _Along with you_… He thought, the words were ghosted over his lips, wanting to spill out, but he refused to allow it to be released.

"I'm sure Marian won't take him away. It was just heated in the moment," Regina replied. "Why did she threaten that, anyway?"

"She said if I ever brought him around you again, she'd take him away from me."

Regina stood up quickly, looking at him. "And so you brought him HERE?" she almost yelled before realizing Roland was sleeping.

"I didn't know what to do! I knew you would take good care of him!" Robin blinked.

Regina started to pace the room, irritated and looking at the ceiling, as if to look through the wall and see Roland sleeping above them. She took a deep breath before turning back to Robin. She put on a calm voice, despite her nearly manic state. "I care for him very much, so of course I'd take good care of him. But I can't do anything to help him when your wife is here. You both can stay here for the night, just because he's already sleeping, but I think it's a good idea if he is taken elsewhere in the morning."

Robin stood up and walked over to Regina, placing an hand on each of her arms and forcing her to stop roaming the room. "I don't want to leave. I don't want him to leave. I feel safer when the two of us are here," he pleaded.

Regina studied his face, starting with his eyes and roaming down to his chin and back up, stopping at his lips for barely a second. Robin noticed this and began to lean forward. Before she was able to move away, he pushed his lips upon hers, softly, as if testing the water to see her reaction.

At first she just stood there, feeling self conscious and bewildered before she started to kiss him back. She missed him, missed this, and she could tell that Robin and Marian's marriage was crumbling before her very eyes. Robin stepped closer, bringing his body to touch her's. He brought one arm to the bottom of her spine, trailing his hand up and down, and the other up to the back of her head, caressing her head through his hair. Regina dragged both of her arms up his body and placed them behind his head, tugging him closer in the process.

When they pulled apart, Robin looked deep into her eyes. "I'll stay in the guest bedroom," he said, starting to fall out of her grip.

Regina's mind immediately traveled to Milah. "No!" she yelled. He turned his head back to face her's, a confused look dancing over his face. "I mean, it's messy right now. You can stay in my room. I have work I need to get done tonight anyway."

"Alright," Robin agreed, hesitantly. Regina and Robin walked the familiar path to Regina's bedroom, a strange space in between them.

Regina opened the door for Robin to enter, following him afterwards. Before Regina knew what was happening, Robin had grabbed her hand and lied her down on the bed, him lying behind her, spooning her. She lifted her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. He stared back. "Just for a little while?" he asked.

Regina knew better than to allow this, but somehow felt her head shaking up and down in agreement. She swiped her hand and the door closed and the lights went off. Robin took both of their shoes off before pulling the blanket up and over them. "Just for a little while," Regina said, snuggling back into him.

"Just for little while," Robin agreed. He took a large breath, and Regina felt the hot breath escape his mouth onto her neck, causing hair to rise in it's place.

They lied in the bed, breathing in time with each other, and it almost felt as though nothing had changed between them. She started to rub the hand that was surrounding her, he started to nuzzle her neck. And, before either of them knew it happened, they had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Emma found her way to the front desk. "May I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Can you just tell Dr. Whale to change Killian Jones' emergency contact? I don't wish to be it anymore." Emma said, in a flat tone.

The receptionist nodded. "Who would you like to change it to?"

Emma racked her brain, trying to decide the perfect person that she knew would take good care of him if he ever needed it. "Belle. Belle Gold." Emma said. "If there are any other medical decisions to be made and he can't make them himself, ask Belle."

"Okay, I'll switch that right now," she agreed, typing something into an outdated computer. She heard the receptionist pick up the phone and call Mr. Gold's home number, asking for Belle to come into the hospital. Emma hit the counter twice before turning around and walking out to her little yellow beetle.

* * *

Killian was carted back into his room after numerous tests, finally stable with the help of a breathing machine and three bags of fluids, including more blood. His deep breaths were the only sign of his life from the outside, but he was quite conscious on the inside.

His thoughts drifted to Milah and Emma from this afternoon. Milah saved him. He was dying, and she saved him. He owes his life to her. But then, he thought about the kiss, and how wrong it felt. It felt like he was cheating on Emma, even though there had been no official label with her. Hearing the dropped mug and knowing Emma had seen it made him want to stay in his earlier coma for hours.

His heart was ripping, thinking about what Emma's face must have looked like. He spent nearly three years pursuing her, including the year they were apart, and he traded his ship for her. He spent every night in the missing year thinking of her, and he hated to think the longing to have her in his arms again was going to flood him, as soon as he opened his eyes.

Milah was right. How could Emma ever love him? He was a villain, a monster. Milah loved him _despite_ that. She loved him for beast he was. And Emma, so pure, could never love him. He was too far gone.

A pain shot through his arm, and Killian yelled in his little glass room. His eyes shot open to look down, and noticed there was nothing there. He saw the breathing machine and went to grab it. "Bloody hell," he mumbled before a hand stopped him.

"Dr. Whale told me that could happen," a woman said. He turned his head to look into the dark corner, and Belle walked forward. "He said your body might do that, randomly hurt out of no where."

"Belle? What are you doing here?" he asked. He brought his hand down, allowing the odd breathing contraption to stay on his face.

Belle was at his bedside now and put her hand on top of his. "I received a call that I'm your new emergency contact, and I needed to come in for you."

"No offense, lass, but how come it's _you_?" Killian tilted his head to look at her more clearly.

"I guess Emma didn't want to be it anymore, and she designated me as her replacement," Belle said, not quite offended by his comment.

Killian's body sank in the bed, his chest feeling as much pain as his arm did. He looked up at her with sad eyes. "She didn't want to help me anymore?"

Belle brought her lips into her mouth and shook her head. "I was surprised, too. Do you know what could have happened to make her change it so quickly?"

Killian took a deep breath, regretting the decision immediately as he scrunched his face in pain. "Will you not tell your husband about what I'm going to tell you?" Belle nodded and took his hand in her's, stroking the top with her thumb. "Milah is back from the dead. I don't know how, but she is. She's cornered me a couple times, and tonight, we kissed. Emma saw it, but left before I got chance to catch up."

Belle's eyes opened, thinking about what Rumpelstiltskin had said about seeing Milah, but shaking it off before continuing with Hook. "Why would you kiss her?" she asked.

"She kissed me, and she held on to me and forced me to keep kissing her. I didn't want to do it, and I hated every second of it." Killian's eyes were starting to form tears and his voice started to crack. "I love Emma so much, but Milah's right, she could never love me." Killian shook his head. "I don't deserve her."

"You're wrong, Killian. Look at Rumple and me. He seems like the most unlovable man to most people, but I love him with all of my heart. And I've seen you and Emma together. I think she loves you more than you know – more than even she knows."

"She'll never love me now," Killian thought, out loud. "I've ruined any chance of that."

"Have faith in yourself. I don't think of you as someone who would give up so easily." Belle smiled at him. "Think how long you stayed with Emma before she truly opened up to you."

Killian closed his eyes, his energy level dropping. "Thank you for being here, Belle. I know we've had our differences…"

"You mean, when you tried to kill me?"

"Yes, that. But if Emma trusts you to take care of me, then I trust you to take care of me." His eyes stayed closed through the entire conversation. "Thank you," he said, without much vigor.

Belle brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it slightly, bringing it down and running a hand through his hair. She could see his breathing becoming deeper and deeper, and his body was relaxing, falling asleep before her very eyes. "Of course I would take care of you."

When she knew he was sleeping, Belle dropped his hand and went back to the chair she had been sitting in earlier. Her mind drifted to what Killian said about Milah being back, then thought about what Rumple said at the restaurant. _"I saw Milah today," _he said. _"I mean, it was a ghost of her, or an illusion or something."_

If Killian had seen her, too, and was able to kiss her, it couldn't have been a coincidence. And, she must have actually been there, if Emma had seen it. This meant Rumpelstiltskin had clearly seen Milah in person, as well, and he didn't tell her about the extent of visit.

Her throat tightened at the thought before pushing it to the back of her head. She would ask him about it when she got home, but right now, she just had to think about keeping Killian alive.


	13. Chapter 13

Killian woke up nearly every hour and a half. The drugs they were giving him made him forget everything from his second surgery on, and so each time he woke up, Belle had to explain to him that Emma didn't want to be his emergency contact anymore. It was heartbreaking for Belle, seeing his grief each time, and hearing the various retellings of his encounter with Milah.

Sometimes he'd cry, sometimes he'd get angry. But the thing that Belle hated seeing most was when he barely talked at all. She could visibly see his soul go numb, the thoughts of losing his true love dancing across his eyes. It was those times that she would take his hand and start rubbing his palm with her thumb, trying to make him feel something. He would simply look at his hand, staring right through it, until he fell back asleep.

It was nearing 3:00 in the morning when Killian woke again.

"Belle, what are you doing here?" he looked around the room. "What am _I_ doing here?"

"You had an accident, and I'm here to make the medical decisions to all of your tests and surgeries. You've had a lot of anesthesia, and so Dr. Whale needs another person to consent the procedures for you."

Killian cocked his head, not satisfied with the answer she gave. "Where's Emma?"

"She's not here."

"Why not?"

"She didn't want to be your emergency contact anymore."

This time, Killian's chin began to quiver while tears gathered in his eyes. "It's all my fault," Killian cried. "I kissed Milah."

"You did?" Dr. Whale had told her that she needed to play along as if it was the first conversation every time, for his psychological benefits, but hearing it for the umpteenth time did not make the conversation any easier.

"Well, she kissed me, but that matters not. Emma saw it, and now she's gone." Killian shook his head before turning to Belle to look straight at her face. "Why is Milah back?"

This was the first time Killian had asked this question, and a feeling in the pit of her stomach twisted when he asked. "I'm not sure. I thought people couldn't come back from the dead."

"Aye," Killian responded, still staring straight into her eyes. They were a glossy red, and Belle swallowed as she waited for him to say more. "Will you do something for me, Belle?"

Belle smiled and nodded.

"Can you find out how Milah got here?"

Belle started rubbing her hand up and down his arm. "I will do my best," she said.

"Emma…." Killian started to daze off again. "I'm sorry, Emma," he whispered as he closed his eyes.

Belle brushed her hand through his brown hair, noticing how peaceful he looked when he was asleep, as if he was still the hopeful lieutenant she heard stories about. He had changed into a hateful person, creating premature lines and wrinkles that didn't deserve to be there. She wished she could take away his pain, that she could help him beyond approving medical procedures.

* * *

Regina's eyes started to flutter open, the morning sun shining brightly into her face. She felt well rested for the first time in days, and she was tempted to just shut her eyes again. She inhaled deeply and the scent of forest filled her nose. Her breath hitched as she looked down and saw a hand draped over her stomach. She turned slowly to look at the person behind her, hoping this was a nightmare. When she saw Robin lying there, still sleeping peacefully, Regina jumped out of bed and yelped, nearly falling down at the sudden action.

Robin shot up, looking around his surroundings before focusing his eyes on Regina. She had backed up so far away from the bed that her body was touching the wall, shivering in her place. Robin tilted his head down, making sure he was still clothed, before looking back at Regina.

"Get out," Regina whispered. It was so quiet, she wasn't sure if she actually said the words aloud or not.

"Regina, I…" Robin started. He didn't know what he wanted to say, though, and so he sat on the bed, his tongue tied.

Regina swiped her hands, and Robin was suddenly gone from the room in a poof of purple smoke. She looked around her bedroom before sliding down the closet door. Once her body met with the floor, her legs fell forward ahead of her, her hands flat on the floor. She stared forward, not looking at anything in particular, and thought about how used she felt. She knew it was irrational, since all they did was cuddle together, but she still felt manipulated and betrayed.

He heard a knock at the door and her head turned towards the sound, but she refused to let herself acknowledge it. She heard it again, a little more forceful this time. She was just about to lock it when Roland walked in, rubbing his eyes. Regina's face fell at the sight of him, opening her hands to let him come sit by her. He sat in her lap and looked up at her before leaning back, closing his eyes in the process.

"I'm tired, Gina," Roland said, lying his head on Regina's shoulder and taking a deep breath.

"You're awake much too early, Roland," she replied. "The sun is barely up. Go back to sleep, honey."

He rolled over until he was in a ball in Regina's lap, and she brought her arms around his body, hugging him closer. "Will you tell me a story?"

Regina didn't trust her voice – she knew it would be shaky if she tried to talk – but she started to speak anyway. "Once upon a time, there was an evil queen…"

"Is she scary?" Roland asked, yawning while listening.

"To some, yes," Regina swallowed before starting over. "Once upon a time, there was an evil queen. She wasn't always evil, but became so after years of unhappiness."

"Why wasn't she happy?"

"There are lots of reasons for someone to be unhappy, Roland. This particular queen was unhappy because nobody loved her." Regina said.

"Nobody?" Roland asked, looking up at Regina.

Regina shook her head. "Nobody. She was alone. She had a son, but even he didn't love her, at least not as much as she loved him. He found a different mother, and would always choose her over the queen. So, once again, the evil queen was left alone." Regina sighed while a single tear ran down her face, but continued. "One day, the evil queen met a handsome outlaw, but the two of them fought often. They despised each other, and neither of them could stand being around the other."

"What does despised mean?" Roland's confused face made the edges of her lips twitch up and down.

"It means they disliked each other very, very much. That is, until a magic spell flew across the land, and something changed. The evil queen had somehow fallen in love with the outlaw, and she had _thought_ the outlaw fell in love with her, too."

"See? Somebody loves her!"

"Yes, but it wasn't that simple. The outlaw had another maiden whom he loved, and so he left the evil queen to go back to the other woman. The evil queen was, once again, left alone and unloved, like she was for her entire life. She realized she didn't deserve happiness. She realized that she was a villain." Regina started to cry softly, behind Roland's unsuspecting head. "She realized she was unlovable."

Somewhere in her story, Roland had fallen back asleep, and Regina knew it, but she continued on anyway. "The evil queen was destined for a sad life because of the poor choices she made, and the choices she kept on making. She turned into someone she didn't even recognize, so it was no surprise that the outlaw left her for the maiden or her son chose to be with a different mother. She had to finally accept it, that her life would always be void of happiness. The queen _was_ evil, _is_ evil, and _will always_ be evil… "

"But the outlaw fell in love with her, anyway," Robin said, entering the room through the door Roland left ajar. "He gave her the second chance she deserved, and he didn't regret the decision." Regina stared at him, water pooled in her eyes as Robin came over to sit down next to her and his son. "The outlaw knew that the queen was not evil and that she had the biggest heart he had ever seen – one that he didn't deserve. The outlaw didn't love the maiden anymore, and would easily choose the queen, if given the chance. The outlaw loved the queen, and he wanted her to know that."

Regina's face had tear lines sliding down her cheeks. She watched Robin with big eyes. "The outlaw is wrong. The queen has an evil in her that cannot be subdued. No matter how hard she tried, the evilness always consumes her. It was a crutch that she couldn't walk without."

Robin brought a thumb to her face and gently wiped away the tears, taking his hand away when he saw her close her eyes in pain. "The outlaw saw the queen not only walk without the evil crutch, he saw her skip, and run, and kick, and dance. He saw her true colors, even if no one else did, and he was a fool to ever think a different woman could have his heart."

"I've done something bad," Regina sobbed, barely audible.

Robin leaned his body so their shoulders were touching. He sat a hand on her knee. Regina looked down at it before looking back up at Robin, her bottom lip shaking violently. "We'll simply have to fix whatever happened."

Regina shook her head, "I don't think it can be undone."

Robin leaned over and kissed her between her eyebrows, pulling back and looking deeply into her red-rimmed eyes. "There's always something that can be done."

* * *

Belle told the hospital to call her if there were any procedures she needed to approve for Killian. They told her he would be fine and didn't need anyone with him for a while, that she could go home and rest from being up all night, but she refused. She called Archie and asked if he would stay at the hospital for a little while, just until she came back. Of course he agreed, and once he arrived at Storybrooke Hospital, she was on her way down Main Street.

"_Can you find out how Milah got here?"_ Killian had asked. The question ran through her head over and over on repeat. It was no coincidence both Killian and Rumpelstiltskin had a hallucination of the dead woman. She must be here, especially if Emma saw it. But how? She knew the magical laws said that a deceased person could not be brought back from the dead, everyone knew that. So, how on earth was she here, alive?

Belle was nearly three quarters of the way home before she turned around, walking back to her home away from home: the library. She opened the creaky door and snuck in, keeping the main hall's lights off to keep from having someone stop by. She nearly tiptoed all the way to the back of the building before turning on a dim light.

She didn't even know where to start looking. How was she supposed to find a book on bringing someone back from the dead when it was impossible to do so? Belle finally decided she just had to go through any book that could give her a possible answer. Sighing slightly, she went to the small corner, took out the first book, sat down on the floor, and began reading for any clue to how Milah was here.

* * *

Emma was standing outside of Mary Margaret's apartment. She hadn't knocked, yet, and she didn't know if she wanted to. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about Killian, to admit that her mother and father's doubts about him were right. "_He's a pirate!"_ They had told her, looks of disapproval covering their faces. She shook her head as she thought about how she never had parents to give advice before, and that she should have listened to them.

Emma knocked softly, hoping no one would answer. Two seconds later, she started to turn away, claiming that it had been long enough and if someone was going to answer, they would have by now. Emma was almost to the staircase when she heard Mary Margaret's voice from behind her. "Emma? Was that you?" Emma turned around to see her mother's face sticking out of the doorframe. "David took Henry and Neal to the movies. Sorry he didn't ask you about it first."

Emma was frozen looking at her. When she didn't move and didn't respond, Mary Margaret left the apartment and started walking towards her, leaving the door open. "Emma, is everything okay?" When Mary Margaret got close enough, she saw the pain in her daughter's eyes, a face no mother wanted to ever see. "Emma dear, come here." She reached her hand across Emma's body, behind her back, and guided her back to the apartment, slamming the door behind her as they walked in.

Once inside, they quickly reached the couch, where just the day before they were gleefully talking as mother and daughter. "What's wrong?" she asked after letting them sit in quiet for nearly three minutes.

Emma shook her head, letting a single tear drop into her lap. "I should have known," she choked out, the words sounding breathless.

"Known what, honey?"

Emma looked into her mother's eyes. "That the savior doesn't get to be happy."

Mary Margaret immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter. "That's not true. Tell me what's wrong and I'll be able to help." Mary Margaret's heart was breaking at the sight of Emma falling apart.

"It's Hook." Emma took a deep breath.

Mary Margaret's body tensed before pulling back to study her daughter. "Hook?" Emma nodded, tears forming above her green eyes. "Emma, I haven't heard you call him Hook in months."

"He's a pirate, he's Captain Hook," Emma leaned over until her head was resting on her mother's shoulder. "He's nothing more than a pirate, just like you said."

"Emma, I see how much Killian loves you. There must be some misunderstanding. He would never do anything to hurt you." Mary Margaret started to stroke her daughter's golden hair. "I didn't trust him at first, but I see his admiration for you in his eyes."

"I saw Hook kissing another woman, right in front of me." Emma closed her eyes, forcing tears to fall down her face onto her mother's sweater.

Mary Margaret's breath hitched. "That doesn't sound like him."

Emma quickly sat up, anger covering her sad face. "Yes, it does. Hook's a pirate, he's a flirt, he's good looking, and he's a great kisser. Why wouldn't a woman want to kiss him?" Emma's words were pouring out of her mouth.

"That's a different question than the one you should be asking," Mary Margaret said. "You shouldn't be asking why women would want to kiss him, or why you saw him kissing someone else."

"What else is there to even ask? That's what he was doing! That's what I want to know the answer to! Why was he kissing another woman?"

Mary Margaret took Emma's hands in her own and placed them upon her lap. "No, that's not what you should ask. You need to ask what coerced Killian, someone who has proven to be an honorable man and one who cares for you deeply, into kissing someone else." Mary Margaret wiped away Emma's tears before continuing. "Trust me, I know true love." Emma opened her mouth to interrupt, but Mary Margaret stopped her. "I know, I know. You only started to acknowledge your feelings for each other, you're not ready to hear he's your true love. But know this, he spent 300 years avenging his first love's death. Do you really think he would throw away the start of something with you after only three days? After he has spent years trying to get you? Emma, I know in my heart that there is an explanation, and not one that is blaming his past as a pirate."

"You really think Killian was forced into kissing that woman?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret smiled, hearing Emma use his real name again. "All I know is that he would never do so by choice."

* * *

Milah was pacing the bedroom she had been staying in. She lied down on the bed, sat in the chair, stood by the window, but nothing was working. She felt weird. Milah felt off, like there was some odd aura surrounding her. Her chest felt numb while her arms tingled.

She went over to look at herself in the mirror. She tilted her said as she leaned in closer, until her nose was suddenly touching the glass. Her eyes were different. The shape was the same, her eyelashes were the same, and the skin around it was the same. But the closer she got, she noticed a difference. The irises weren't her eye color. Her eyes had been a muted green, but the eyes staring back at her were a bright and lively shade. It was subtle from far away, but there was a difference.

The eyes staring back at Milah weren't her own.


	14. Chapter 14

_I'm going insane!_ Milah thought, rubbing her eyes over and over again while looking in the mirror. _I have to get out of here. I'm a fucking pirate! I know I can figure it out. If I could just get out, I can get to Killian and he can help me. Even if he loves that Emma girl, he would help me… Right?_

Milah spun quickly on her heels and started to scan the room, looking for anything that could help her escape. She went over to the door and put her hand on the handle, immediately retracting it after the hot metal burned her hand. She went to the window and tried to spin it open, but it was as if the window lever was stuck in place. Milah was getting desperate as she looked around for a secret exit that she may not know about.

_There has to be a way out…_ She thought as she opened the closet. _There has to be a way out of here, I know it._

She started shifting through the clothing that was hanging in the closet – the yellow dress she wore for Rumpelstiltskin, the two outfits she had to wear for Killian – until finally she fell in a heap on the floor, crying.

_There has to be a way! _Her mind told her over and over again. Her sobbing was making her body shake, and was making it difficult to think of anything other than her failure to escape.

She sat in self-pity for a very long time. The sun was barely awake when she started her mission, and now it was blaring outside her window. In her little ball, she started looking around the room again, trying to figure out a plan that wasn't coming.

Milah walked over to the mirror again and looked in. She could not get a bad feeling out of the pit of her stomach as she looked at her overly green eyes. She unfocused on herself and looked at the background of the mirror, thinking maybe a new perspective might help.

She grinned to herself when she realized she had an idea. It was risky, but an idea she'd _have_ to try.

* * *

Regina and Robin were standing in the doorway to Henry's room, watching Roland sleep after Regina's story made him fall asleep. Robin placed a hand on Regina's shoulder, but she lifted her shoulder up, silently telling him to take it off of her. "Are you ready to tell me what you've done now that Roland's asleep?" Robin asked, his voice soothing next to her ear.

She turned her body to look at him, her hands folded over her chest. She only nodded as the pair walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "Would you like some tea or coffee?" she asked.

"You're only trying to change the subject." Robin said, seeing right through her antics. "Sit down and tell me what happened so we can fix it."

"I told you, it can't be fixed."

"And I told you _everything_ can be fixed. At least partially."

Regina sighed as she walked over and sat down in a chair across from where Robin was standing. She shifted her eyes throughout the room until she finally mustered up the confidence to tell him. "I brought someone back from the dead."

Robin cocked his head, looking at her with confusion. "I didn't think that was possible."

"It's not. I just took the heart of someone and created a spell to create the hallucination of the dead person."

"Whose heart did you use?" he asked.

"Thumbelina."

"Cornelius has been worried sick about her! You have to change her back."

"I _can't_." Regina said. "I made the potion so strong that it can't be changed back magically. The only way she can come back is if it wears off!"

"And how long does that take?"

"It depends. Thumbelina will start transforming back into her normal self when her purpose is complete. As soon as she completes the deed I set out for her, she will become herself again, and the person I brought back will be gone again."

"Who did you bring back?"

"Milah, Rumpelstiltskin's ex-wife."

Robin bowed his head and closed his eyes, reaching out and grabbing her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb. "And why did you bring Milah back?"

"She was Hook's lover. And since Emma brought your wife back from the dead, I decided to bring Hook's first love back from the dead. It was a rash decision, and now she won't turn back into Thumbelina until Milah's mission is complete."

"Oh, Regina, you didn't…" Robin said, sadly.

"She's locked in the guest bedroom, which is why you couldn't sleep there last night." Regina took in a deep breath.

"Is there anything else to this tale?" he asked.

Regina nodded, guilt written behind her eyes. "She has already put a wedge in Rumpelstiltskin and Belle's relationship, and she has nearly ruined Hook and Emma. I watched Emma fall apart right before my very eyes. But it wasn't enough to bring Thumbelina back. Emma has to be completely destroyed before that happens."

"There has to be another way. I refuse to believe that the only way to bring Thumbelina back is to destroy Emma's happiness."

Regina _almost_ smiled at his nobleness, his always-desire to help others. "No other way that I know of."

"Can I see her?" Robin asked. "Maybe if I saw her, we could all figure something out."

Regina stood up and started walking towards the guest bedroom door, Robin following closely behind.

* * *

Belle threw _another _book into the pile she had read. _This is taking forever! I have to get back to Hook._ she thought to herself as she grabbed the next book on the shelf.

So far, she had read all of the books on incantations, all of the books on light magic, most of the ones on magic spells and hexes, and had moved on to potions and dark magic. She was at a loss; she didn't realize how many different types of magic there was, and she couldn't help but feel in awe of Rumpelstiltskin. He may often use his magic for selfish reasons, but he knew which spell to use in which situation like the back of his hand.

She was paging through the newest book, almost not even reading the pages, when she saw a tiny section in the corner of the page. She cocked her head and brought her face so close, her nose was nearly touching the page.

"A manifestation?" she whispered to herself. Holding her thumb in place, she closed the book to look at the purple cover, sporting the title, _'Revenge is Simply an Act of Passion: A Guide to the Darkest Potions and Spells'_. Belle opened the book again, looking at diagrams of hearts and herbs. "She's a hallucination… Milah's an illusion." Belle started reading the description of the potion in depth, her eyes widening with each word.

Belle jumped up, running and stepping over books in the process, and exited the library. Once upon Main Street, Belle didn't quite know what to do. There was really no point in seeing Hook, at least about this, since she knew she could count on Archie to take good care of him. He wasn't going to know what to do with the information, and she probably would make him cry, anyway.

Which meant she had to see her husband, whom she loved so much. But, at the moment, she couldn't help but feel betrayed by him. He lied to her, or at least lied by omission. He admitted he had seen Milah, that he'd been thinking constantly about her, but failed to mention that she was _actually there_.

She walked to the pawnshop slowly, taking each step much more leisurely than needed. Belle kept her finger on the page in the book and would open it every few steps to reread what the book said about this potion. She couldn't get over one specific line that was in it.

"_The deceased person will only return to its true form upon completion of its purpose."_

Belle understood the words, but couldn't quite make out what that meant exactly. Obviously, Milah was brought back to Storybrooke for a reason, but what reason could it be? And, on top of it, why would be here to bother not only Hook, but also Rumpelstiltskin.

She stood outside of the pawnshop, looking up at the sign. Belle took one final deep breath before opening the door and stepping in. The bell signified her entrance, and her husband, who had his back turned towards the door, said, "Sorry, I'm not open for business today."

"I think I could be an exception," Belle replied, walking forward.

Mr. Gold finally turned around and smiled at his wife. "I thought you'd be at the hospital all day helping out that pirate."

"He's stable right now, well, physically. Mentally, he's a mess." Belle continued forward until she pecked his cheek. "I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly last night, and that I had to spend all night in the hospital."

"You're here now, which is all that really matters." A sad smile overcame Belle's face. "What's wrong, Belle?"

"I don't think you're being honest with me…"

"About what?" Mr. Gold watched Belle as she placed the book on the counter, opening it to the specific page she had been reading over and over again.

"Hook saw Milah, too. But, he kissed her, she was _really here_, and she wasn't a mirage." Belle watched her husband swallow, a guilty face overcoming her expression, and she knew she was right in her accusation.

"You said he was mentally disturbed right now. Perhaps he's not in his right mind?" he pointed out.

"Emma saw him and Milah kiss. _That_'s why he's mentally disturbed. Which leads me to think, how is it that both my husband and this man, who both loved this woman, happen to see her on the same day? It could not have been a coincidence, which meant you lied about the extent of your interaction with her." Belle crossed her arms in front of her chest, cocking her head and trying to get the truth out of him.

He placed a hand on each shoulder. "Belle, why are you worrying about this so much? Milah means nothing to me anymore. She's only a figment of my imagination."

"No, she's not." Belle turned towards the book and pointed out the section on the transformation potion. "Someone brought her back. She is physically here in Storybrooke." Rumpelstiltskin looked over the book and read each line three times, and Belle knew he was just stalling. "You're not telling me the truth of your interaction with her, I know it."

"Lass, you know how much I love you…" Rumpelstiltskin began. Belle held her hand up in a stop sign, signifying she was not going to let this go. "She had been stalking me around Storybrooke, and even followed me in here. And then she kissed me. I threw her out of my shop as soon as it happened, I swear!" He watched Belle's face fall, a sad pain glossed over her eyes.

Belle took a deep breath. "How do we make her go away?" she asked in a cold voice.

"She has to finish her task, the reason she was brought here. It says so right there." He pointed to the line in the book that she read over and over again.

"You're the dark one. Surely there is something you can do," she said, her heart nearly beating out of her chest at this point.

Mr. Gold stepped forward, about to hug his wife, but she backed up. "I can't. Otherwise, I would have when she entered my shop that day."

Belle grabbed the book from the counter. "I have to go back to Hook. I promised him I'd figure out why she was here and tell him." Without another word, she left the shop, leaving Mr. Gold to watch her walk away.

Once outside, the clean air cleared her thoughts. What bothered her most was not that Milah kissed Rumpelstiltskin (although, it did make her want to pull Milah's hair out if she ever saw her), but that he lied about it. If he had been honest, she wouldn't have the deep burning in her chest.

She shook her head, emptying the thought out of her mind. Instead, her mind wandered to Milah's intentions, who brought her back, and what purpose she was here for. She kissed both of her ex-lovers, but she still couldn't figure out _why she was here_.

She was at the elevator, pushing the up button when she received a call, she pulled out her phone and noticed who it was. She cocked her head slightly and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked into the speaker.

* * *

"Hey Belle, it's Emma." Emma said into the phone.

"_Hi. How are you?"_

"Okay. I'm just calling to check on Killian…"

"_He's fine right now. I had to leave for a little bit, so Archie has been staying with him, but I'm back at the hospital now. Would you like to talk to him?"_

Emma was sitting in her bug right outside of Storybrooke Hospital, but she couldn't bring her legs to move or go inside. She knew her mother was right, that Killian would not have thrown away whatever it was between them to kiss some random woman, but it didn't dull the pain much. "Uh… No," Emma closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, frustrated by her own cowardice.

"_He told me what happened,"_ Belle said, and Emma couldn't tell what her tone meant. There was a hint of sadness, disappointment, and even anger. But, Emma couldn't help but shake the feeling that Belle was hiding something.

"He did, did he?" Emma leaned forward until her head was on the steering wheel.

"_That woman forced herself on Hook, you know…"_

Her mother's suspicions had been confirmed. "Who was it?"

"_I'm sure you've heard of Milah?"_

Emma's self pity turned into rage. "The woman kissing Killian was Milah?"

"_Yea, and she kissed Rumple, too."_

Emma started her car. "Gotta go," she said as she hung up the phone, not even waiting for Belle's goodbye. She started driving down Main Street, ignoring other cars and speeding. She used her siren to get through faster until she found her way to a big, white mansion on the end of the road.

Emma got out of her car and stomped to the door, knocking harder than she needed to and rang the door repeatedly until she could hear the sound not working anymore. Her irritation increased at the realization that Regina put a silencing spell on the doorbell.

Regina finally answered the door, a blank expression across her face. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Swan."

Emma hadn't thought through what she was going to do once she confronted Regina, the anger overpowering her whole body. She pointed a finger at the woman, shaking it and yelling. "You will never be anything more than the Evil Queen."

Regina's expression changed into split emotions. Her mouth resembled the evil woman she saw torturing people in the Enchanted Forest of the past, but her eyes bore sadness. She stepped out of her house, closing the space between them as she shut the door behind her. "You have no right to say that to me!" Emma could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"What the hell, Regina? I have been terrified to come over and talk to you about what happened since Killian and I came back from the past. I can't change it now, I _wouldn't_ change it now. I saved Marian from death, a death by YOUR doing. I'm not going to apologize for that. YOU were the one who tore up a family, not me."

"You think I don't know that?" Regina replied. "But that doesn't make it _hurt_ any less! You take EVERYTHING from me, Emma. You took my son, you took my boyfriend and, once again, YOU took my happiness."

"So bringing Milah back from the dead was your solution? How is that rational at all?" Emma's throat was starting to hurt from her screaming.

"It wasn't! You have known me for three years, read the book about me, and even saw me in the past! When have I EVER been a rational person?" Regina took a step back at the confession, tears forming in her eyes. "And you know what? It felt good. It felt GREAT to make you suffer as much as you've made me suffer."

"Where is she?" Emma asked, trying to calm her voice. "Where is Milah?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Show me her. Let me see her."

"Why would you want to see your pirate's ex-girlfriend?" Regina was completely shocked by Emma's change of expression.

"I deserve that much, Regina."

"You deserve NOTHING from me!" Regina yelled as the door behind her started to open, and a sad Robin stepped out of the house. Emma's eyes widened as he put an arm on Regina's shoulder.

"Hold on, you are still blaming me for something that fixed itself?" Emma stepped forward. "I demand to see Milah!"

Right as Regina was about to say no, Robin cut in. "Come, Regina was just about to show me her, too." Robin turned back inside while Emma stormed up the steps, hitting Regina's shoulder with her own.

* * *

Marian walked into Granny's diner, sadness radiating off of her body. She went to the farthest booth in the back, sliding in and slumping on the cushion. She sat for a while before Granny came over to take her order. Granny looked up and down once before sliding in herself. "What's wrong, dear?"

Marian looked up and her, shaking her head. She didn't trust her voice not to betray her, and choosing to not speak at all made her feel more in control. Granny just continued then. "It can't be easy coming back here. We all had fake memories implanted in us, so we know everything going on, how to use the technology and whatnot. You were thrown into this, I can't imagine how hard it must be."

"I'm not sad because of that," she finally admitted, looking up at the old woman.

Granny nodded. "I figured as much, but the only way to feel better would be to tell someone. Have you talked to Robin?"

"It's because of him," Marian looked away, playing with her thumbs.

Granny reached her hand over and placed it on top of Marian's. "Let me take care of the other customers quickly and I'll be back." Granny left, and within five minutes, she was back, her apron had been discarded, and she held out a cup of cold liquid to her. "It's called ice tea. You'll like it, I promise."

Marian gave a thankful smile and took the drink from Granny. She sipped it before putting it back down. "That's delicious," she said, less enthusiastic than she normally would be. "Thank you for the offer, but it's such a dark topic, I doubt you'd want to dive into it."

"I've raised two women in my lifetime, and one of them is running the diner for me right now. I think I can help you with men issues." Granny grinned. "Tell me what's wrong and I will do my best to fix it."

Marian took a deep breath. "I don't think Robin loves me anymore. He's moved on and he's changed in these past 30 years."

"And you haven't gotten a chance to change because you skipped those 30 years," Granny said, understanding her pain.

"It's not only that. He's found love again, but in the Evil Queen, the one who was supposed to murder me, and the one who ripped me from my family. Could he have chosen a worse woman to fall in love with?"

"He didn't know it was her who had killed you," Granny pointed out.

"I just get sick to my stomach thinking of him with her, and thinking of her being around Roland. I can't believe he would put our son in that kind of danger!"

"Trust me, she's not dangerous, at least not to your son or Robin. She loves that little boy like it's her own. She would do anything for either of them." Granny wiped away the tears dripping down Marian's face.

"I love him so much," Marian shook her head. "But I hate who he's turned into."

"Love and hate is a thin line, Marian." Granny sat back, crossing her arms. "But you can't love someone if you hate them, and if they hate you, they can't love you."

Marian closed her eyes, fearing what she was about to ask. "Am I correct with what I assume you're advising me?"

Granny shrugged, reaching over and placing her index finger underneath Marian's chin, forcing Marian to look at her. "If you're asking me that question, you already know the answer." Tears were escaping Marian's eyes without hesitation now. Her breaths became shallow, her heart beating fast. "I trust you'll make a good decision," Granny finished, patting her on the cheek. "Would you like anything for lunch? It's on the house."

"I don't even know what any of these foods are…" Marian stared at the menu.

Granny chuckled. "Hook was the same way at first. I'll get you the most popular thing on the menu."

Marian sat in self-pity during her meal. _All done,_ she thought to herself. _No more crying, no more unhappiness. I am a strong woman, I can do this._

With that, she exited the diner, listening to the sweet chiming of the doorbells on the way out.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was in his office again, thinking about his confession to Belle and the events that had happened over the past few days. He hurt Belle, he knew that, and he wished nothing more than to erase the conversation they just had. But, once again, he didn't quite know what was bothering her. Obviously, kissing Milah was dangerous, and that hurt her most. But, there was another expression in her that he couldn't quite pinpoint, and he knew he had to fix that, as well.

He shook his head, trying to ignore a little irk at the back of his mind. Milah had said to him that he was her only love, that she didn't know who Killian Jones was, and that she only wanted him. The envy and jealousy and rejection that he knew was irrational was flooding back to him. He was married, he had Belle. How did Milah have such a hold over him?

He decided the only way to make it up to her was to figure out a way to stop Milah with whatever task she had been set out to do.

* * *

"Thank you for staying with him, Archie. How's he doing?" Belle asked outside of Killian's hospital room.

"He's a little depressed and confused, but health-wise, he's fine. Dr. Whale said if he stays where he is, without physical movement, for three days, he should be fine to go home without any repercussions."

Belle let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That's great. Thank you again, Archie."

"Anytime. I need to go feed Pongo. Do you need anything else before I leave?"

Belle shook her head, turning away from him and entering the room. She walked over to the bed and grabbed Killian's stump. His eyes were closed as he said, "Emma?"

"No, I'm sorry…" Belle replied, and Killian whipped his stump out of her hand and placed it under the blanket, opening his eyes to see who was standing next to him.

"Where is she? Have you talked to her?" Killian asked, hope in his eyes.

Belle swallowed. "No, I haven't talked to her since she designated me your guardian." She never liked lying, especially when she had just lectured Mr. Gold about it, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she didn't want to talk to him.

"Will you call her?" Killian's hope was dying by the moment.

"I think she's busy right now. Maybe later," she said. "I do have good news, though."

The hope that had completely disappeared from her face returned slightly. "I think I found out how Milah's back."

She took out the book and placed it on Killian's lap. "_'Revenge is Simply an Act of Passion: A Guide to the Darkest Potions and Spells'_? How does this prove how Milah's back?"

Belle opened the book to the page. "She's not really back. She's a hallucination. Whoever cast this curse transformed someone into Milah."

"Do you know who did this?"

"Not yet," she answered. When she could tell he was about to blame Mr. Gold, she interrupted him. "It's not Rumple, if that's what you're thinking. She was such a good mirage that even he was tricked by her."

"So how do we make her transform back to whoever she was?" Killian asked.

"Well, the only way is to have the person finish what they were brought back to do." Belle explained.

"And it seems that it is to ruin my relationship with Emma…"

"And mine with Rumple," Belle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whoever brought Milah back does not want us to be in happy relationships."

"There's no other way to make Milah go away?" Killian was hanging on to his last thread.

"Not that Rumple could do, and he's the most magical person in Storybrooke." Belle said, sadly.

Killian let out a large sigh. "I'm too tired to think…" he closed his eyes.

"Take a nap, we can talk more when you wake up." Belle placed a kiss on Killian's forehead before sitting back in the only chair in the room. She opened up the book again, reading and rereading the passage to figure out a way to stop Milah.


End file.
